


Ghost Hunters, Lies, & Money

by SheSailsShips



Category: Ghost Hunt
Genre: F/M, Mystery, Romance, SPR being SPR, been working on this fic for 10 years, case!fic, over 200k written so far, seriously this fic is long
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-04-04 05:34:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 56,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14013276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheSailsShips/pseuds/SheSailsShips
Summary: When the SPR team is called to investigate a haunted theater in a small town, it's hard to tell who's acting, who's playing, and who's paying...





	1. In Which: There Is A Lot Of Shouting

**Author's Note:**

> Hello readers new and old! After a long stint on FF.Net and Wattpad, I'm finally posting here. If you don't know, GLM is a product of the last 10+ years. Currently it is over 200k and 27 chapters long...and growing! I will be posting in installments, about once every other week until caught up. Thank you so much for taking the time to read, I hope you enjoy!

**Day One**

**4:45pm**

**On the road**

Mai Taniyama shifted in her seat and pressed her forehead against Bou-san's SUV window. The world outside her was dimming in the fading light of the sun, absent mindedly she checked the time: almost five. That meant they had been in the car for nearly four hours. Mai attempted to stretch her cramped legs, and next to her Masako did the same. In the front passenger seat Ayako let out a loud yawn and mumbled some complaint about hardships. Bou-san's own yawn followed hers, then he announced that he had seen a sign for Nozomi a mile back and that they should be there soon. Everyone sighed in relief.

Mai glanced behind her seat and sent a smile John's way. John smiled back, not looking much more comfortable than any of them with all of Ayako and Masako's suitcases piled up next to him. Mai spotted the one of her own. She hoped she had packed enough now that she saw how much Ayako and Masako had brought, but then again they weren't ones to pack light...

Mai's gaze traveled over the two: Ayako's tight fitting t-shirt and long skirt looked as crisp as when she stepped in the car, and Masako's kimono looked as pressed and neat as ever. One would have never suspected  _they_  had been stuck in a car all afternoon. Mai looked down at herself: her tank-top was completely wrinkled, she had taken her jacket off at lunch because she had spilled some sauce on it when Bou-san went over a bump, and her skirt lay about her in saggy folds.

_Just great._

With a sigh, Mai closed her eyes and thought forward to their arrival. Nozomi was a small town in a remote area far outside of Tokyo. They had been called a week ago by a Mr. Joji Sachi with claims that the old theater he worked in was haunted. When Mai had fielded the call she almost felt sorry for the guy, he sounded so desperate for their help, but Nozomi was situated half-a-day away and Naru would never take the case. But to her great surprise, she was wrong.

At first he did say no, in fact, Mai had barely gotten out what his claims were after she mentioned the distance. She returned Mr. Sachi's call with a sincere apology, but then he requested that he talk to Naru himself. Mai tried to persuade him otherwise, but he wouldn't hear it, his needs were too desperate. It was a long and terrible walk into Naru's office to hand him the phone, Mai swore the look he gave her would kill anyone not used to it. Firmly she handed off the phone. An hour and two cups of tea later it was settled, they would go. The man claimed his ghosts walked the halls plainly as day, so even with the inconvenience, Naru agreed.

And so here she was, stuffed in Bou-san's SUV; Naru's van driven by Lin a little ahead of them. It was thirty more minutes before they broke off from the forest surrounding them and came into a great clearing: Nozomi. Mai sat forward to look out at the sleepy town. Little houses dotted the land here and there, some children played in the dirt streets that wound around small stores, and then, there it was- the tallest more impressive building in town.

"There it is, the Miyuki theater," Bou-san announced slowing down and craning his neck to look up at it. Ayako chimed in with her own observations,

"Very nice, I've always wanted to go to a Miyuki theater house."

Masako and Mai nodded. The chain of theaters had been built before they were born and were known for excellent entertainment and quality. Bou-san pulled in next to Naru's van.

"It seems that it's well cared for," John commented. And it did. Flourishing flower beds had been planted around the entrance, the windows gleamed- it looked as though it had been built just that day. Mai stepped out of the SUV and took a better look at the theater. Even in the growing dusk, it seemed peaceful.

"Mai."

Startled, the young woman snapped around to see Naru staring at her, "Eh?"

"Hara-san..."

The medium came to stand behind Mai; her eye's took a quick sweep of the area, then finished with a shake of her head at Naru's inquiring look. Naru nodded thoughtfully and then Lin stepped out of the van and the two began to talk. Mai blushed. Why did she have to be so slow? Naru was asking whether she felt anything and she stood there like an idiot! But of course  _that Masako_  was there to swoop in with  _her_  insight! Mai sent her a look out of the corner of her eye, but she was gone, wandering here and there, in that dreamy way she always did. A heavy hand suddenly clasped her shoulder,

"What do you think Mai? We've never done a theater before."

Mai looked up at Bou-san with a slight smile,

"I don't know, I guess we'll see."

"Theaters are tricky..." Ayako commented, hands on hips, scrutinizing the building before her. Bou-san nodded,

"Lots of secret rooms, trap doors, and special effects..."

Mai looked at the two warily. Secret rooms? Trap doors? John joined them now, he seemed to be making his own opinion of the place, his eyes scanned it calmly and then landed on Lin and Naru,

"I'm sure Lin will be able to obtain blue prints."

Mai relaxed a little, John was probably right. Bou-san looked down at Mai with a wink,

"But there's a reason their called  _secret_  rooms..."

Mai looked back to the theater and swallowed hard, she could just see herself finding one of those secret rooms and getting trapped. She'd been having bad luck with that kind of thing lately...

"Are we ready?"

Naru's voice called Mai back from her thoughts. The others nodded and they entered the theater. The whole village of Nozomi was like stepping into the past and Mai was further enchanted by the inside of the Miyuki Theater. It was so temple like. The foyer had high vaulted ceilings; the floor they stood on was of highly polished cherry. The air around them was still, yet it seemed that if you were quiet enough, the walls would tell you their stories.

The room was sparsely furnished, oil lamps were lit here and there- all this temple was missing were some tatami mats. But then there were some things that clashed with the old. For instance, hanging from the vaulted ceiling, was a shimmering chandelier. And then there was the ticket booth in front of them and the red rug leading up to a set of ancient doors.

No one spoke, each of them consumed in their surroundings. Finally Naru walked forward towards the doors, and upon opening them, voices filled the air. Right off the lobby, in all its simplicity and grandeur, was the auditorium. Continuing with its clash of new and old, rows and rows of benches extended out from them, ending at a large low set stage. Heavy velvet curtains were tied off at the edges of the stage and as it appeared no lights were in use to illuminate it. Mai looked up- sky lights. Her gaze traveling back behind her, she found that there was an upper level. Rows of plush chairs filled the veranda. New and old, new and old. Beside her the rest of the SPR team was taking note of similar things.

"Well hello, hello!"

Surprised by the voice that broke the silence, Mai jumped. Walking eagerly down the center aisle was a tall young man with a bright smile on. Reaching them, he said hello again and gave a deep bow,  

"Joji Sachi, head playwright of this Miyuki Theater, and you must be my ghost hunters?"  

Mai flinched and sent a side long glance at Naru. Like usual though, he appeared unaffected,  

"Yes, we're Shibuya Psychic Research," he corrected evenly. The man nodded excitedly, oblivious to his error, 

"Perfect, just perfect!" his gaze then scanned the faces staring at him, searching for something...landing on Bou-san he drew himself up and his smiled relaxed a bit,  

"You must be Mr. Shibuya himself."  

Swallowing the urge to smile at the honest mistake, Mai glanced at Naru again. His eyes had narrowed a bit with annoyance, but his expression remained unfaltering. Bou-san meanwhile broke out in a wide grin,  

 _"Actually..."_   

Naru stepped forward with purpose,  

"I am."  

Mr. Sachi seemed taken a back and then very embarrassed,  

"Oh, so sorry, of course you are."  

Just then a woman walked up,  

"Joji about this last scene..." she said distractedly, her face hovering over a play book. A fresh smile lit Mr. Sachi's face, 

"Nari, if you would look up from that script for one second you would see that our guests from Tokyo have arrived." The woman did look up.  

"Oh! Hello, it is very nice to meet you all," she went on hurriedly with a brief bow. The woman stood at about Masako's height with long black hair pulled into a braid, her set of soft brown eyes observed them all with warmth. Mr. Sachi looked upon her with approval,  

"Nari here is my best actress and I hope to work with her for many years, that is...if the theater isn't closed down."  

Naru raised an eyebrow,  

"Closed down?"  

Nari looked to Mr. Sachi quickly,  

"You didn't tell them?"  

Sachi drew in a deep breath and let out a long heavy sigh,  

"Come this way for some refreshments and everything will be explained."  

In some confusion and curiosity, they followed their strange new client out of the auditorium and through several halls.  

Mai walked near Mr. Sachi. She couldn't tell yet what she thought of him. He seemed nice enough, a bit excitable, but nice. His every move and word seemed to rise and fall dramatically as though he was the lead in his very own play. A flourish of hand here, a raised eyebrow there, a deep frown, a bright smile. Up and down, up and down.  

Finally, they reached a door which Mr. Sachi opened with an elegant extension of his arm, and motioned them all in. Two comfortable looking couches sat around a small table. Mai took a seat followed by Bou-san, Ayako, and John. Naru, Masako, and Lin took the other couch. Mai felt her cheeks burn hot,  

 _That Masako...._   

But she didn't have much time to dwell; Mr. Sachi pulled up an extra chair and invited them all to tea. Nari went around to each of them, pouring warm amber liquid into each cup. Naru took his first sip and relaxed a bit. Mai smiled into her teacup, she knew just how much her boss seemed to depend on it.  

"I might as well fill you in a bit before she gets here," Mr. Sachi began, reaching a dramatic low, "And by  _she_  I mean Miss Toki Miyuki." Mr. Sachi paused effectively; there were a few intakes of breaths, including Mai's.

_Miss Miyuki? The theaters are owned by a woman?_

"Mr. Miyuki's daughter? What does she have to do with this?" Ayako spoke up. Mr. Sachi cleared his throat, took a sip of tea, and answered,  

"Everything. Surely you've heard of Mr. Miyuki's untimely death some years ago? In his will Miss Miyuki was left it all, his fortune, his theaters. And now she wants to close them."  

Naru frowned,  

"Mr. Sachi, when I talked to you over the phone you said you were being haunted, you're not about to tell me that you think-"  

"Ah, but I am!" Mr. Sachi cut in, setting down his cup rather hard; "It is Mr. Miyuki himself!" Surprise filled many faces in the room, but Naru remained frowning.  

"I have seen him myself, we were once very close in life, and now he has come to haunt his first theater in vengeance against his daughter and her horrible intentions for his life long work!" Mr. Sachi persisted.  

"I have seen him too," Nari said quietly, having found a seat herself, she was watching and listening to Mr. Sachi intently. Naru turned his imposing gaze upon the small woman,  

"Have you?"  

"Yes, in my very powder room," she replied and something in her voice told Mai that it really bothered her.  

"Non-sense."  

Everyone looked up. A tall young woman with long blonde hair, dressed as if she had just walked out of a fashion magazine, stood in the door way. Mr. Sachi frowned equal to Naru.  

"Miss Miyuki, you are being very rude to our guests. They are, after all, a  _paranormal_  group. Nothing is  _non-sense_  to them." 

Looking for support he smiled lightly at them all. Mai returned the smile hesitantly, they believed in the paranormal of course, but that didn't mean that they believed  _everything_  was paranormal. Naru drove this thought home,  

"We take no offense Miss Miyuki, we are only out for the truth be it paranormal-" Mr. Sachi smiled wider at this, " _or not._ " Mr. Sachi's smile fell. Miss Miyuki stepped in further, her arms crossed; she nodded agreeably at Naru,  

"Good. You'll find the only truth here is that there is no paranormal activity."  

"You dare to call Joji a lair? Me a lair?" Nari suddenly demanded. Miss Miyuki narrowed her gaze on the actress,  

"Not lairs,  _stallers_."  

Mr. Sachi stood up in objection,  

"I would never use your father's memory to my own gain!" 

"You would if it protected his theater!" Miss Miyuki shot back. The tension in the air rose, Mai shifted uncomfortably.  

"You've got this whole superstitious town believing that the ghost of their beloved Takuya Miyuki is haunting his theater! You're wasting my time, but fine. I'm glad they're here actually, they'll see through your act and I'll get to close this waste of money."  

And with that the young woman stormed out of the room. Mr. Sachi sat back down, looking disgruntled. Nari stared after Miss Miyuki with hard eyes,  

"Don't listen to her Joji, all she wants is money. I know Mr. Miyuki is here."  

Mr. Sachi sighed,  

"I'm sorry you had to see that," he murmured, pouring himself a new cup of tea.  

"Mr. Sachi, do you believe this ghost capable of harm?" Naru persisted; his tone was low and irritated. Mai knew what he was thinking;  _four hours for nothing..._  they didn't come out to investigate a phony ghost and a feud. Mr. Sachi seemed a bit surprised by the question, but before he could answer, there was a loud  _crash_  in the next room and the oil lights around them blew out. Nari gasped sharply- 

"What?"  

There was the sound of sudden movement, and then a small glow filled the room,  

"Quick, I believe it came from Nari's powder room!" Mr. Sachi urged, having lit a candle, he was making for the door. Nari went after him at once, shortly behind were the rest of the SPR group.  

They darted down the dark hall. Mai observed the snuffed oil lamps she past in apprehension,  _all of them blown out?_  In a breathless moment, Mr. Sachi came to a sudden halt, dramatically he threw open the door and thrust in his candle. Nari gasped again and Bou-san was forced to take her arm to steady her.  

The powder room seemed completely up-turned. A rack holding several costumes was thrown against the wall; dresses lay strewn across the floor. A floor length mirror that dominated the room was severely cracked; its reflection now magnified the chaos ten times over. Make-up covered every inch of wall with garish reds and stark white and pale pink streaks. The few pieces of furniture in the room, a chair, a chest, a small table, were lying upside down, some were broken.  

"My- my room..." Nari spoke faintly. In the ghostly orange glow of the candle light, Mr. Sachi faced them, his expression pleading,  

"Now will you reconsider? Perhaps-" the playwright swallowed; something in his eyes said he didn't want to say what he was about to, "Perhaps our ghost, Mr. Miyuki,  _is_  dangerous in his after life?"  

Mai looked up at Naru, her boss seemed focused, he set his jaw.  

"Lin find us some lodging, we're staying the night." 

Lin made to leave, but a cry of protest from Mr. Sachi stopped him.  

"Wait- please, there is only one Inn in Nozomi, they are expecting you, let me take you there."  

Naru nodded,  

"Fine."  

Smiling brightly again, Mr. Sachi lead them from the room, Nari drifted to his side, he spoke to her quietly.  

"Do you need to sit down, perhaps some water?" John suggested gently. Nari was indeed pale, and looked quite shaken, but she only smiled weakly and waved his suggestions off,  

"Thank you, but I'm okay, really."  

Mr. Sachi seemed to approve of this,  

"Nari is my most resilient actress; I believe it would take more than a little scare to keep her down..."  

As they walked away Mai noticed Naru lingering at the door. She too fell back,  

"Naru..?"  

He shook his head,  

"It's quite an aggressive attack; Nari is an interesting target..."  

Mai nodded silently, what had Nari done to deserve this?  

"Hey, Mai? You coming?" Bou-san called from down the hall.  

"Oh! Yes..." Mai answered, glancing back at Naru before heading after them. Reluctantly Naru moved along too. A short time later they stood around Naru's van, suitcases in hand (or in Ayako and Masako's instance, piled around their feet...).  

"Ready? Great! It's just a short walk from here," Mr. Sachi continued. His brown eyes held such shine, his mop of brown hair bounced around with his quick movements; you would have never known minutes ago he had been grave and pleading. The group started to move forward, but Ayako and Masako planted their feet, sour expressions crossing their face.  

" _Ahem_ ," Masako cleared her throat, drawing attention back to them. Bou-san raised an eyebrow,  

"Aren't you coming Ayako?"  

The miko fixed the monk with a burning glare. The moon moved out from behind a cloud, the stars glowed dimly above them, it was getting late. Naru sighed and strode over to pick up two of Masako's bags. The bag in Mai's hand slipped out of her grasp,  

 _That Masako..._   

Like usual the medium only giggled into her sleeve and played modest. Grumbling, Bou-san had little choice but to follow Naru's lead and pick up a pair of Ayako's bags. The miko smiled smugly at him, but there were still three suitcases at her feet. Masako found herself in the same position, but then Mr. Sachi eagerly stepped in,  

"Here now, I'll take these three," he offered, a winning smile lighting his face. Not quite as flattered as she had been by Naru stepping in, Masako only managed a small appreciative nod. Ayako now stood awkwardly, her remaining bags burning holes where they sat. Her face hardened, her eyes leering at them all expectantly. Just as Mai was sighing and about to take one, Lin stalked forward and snatched up all three. Ayako did a similar impression of Masako's giggle. Bou-san snorted,  

"Some thanks I get..."  

"Okay, everyone set? Let's go!" Mr. Sachi announced, seeming as if he were about to lead them all to some kind of resort. Mai was greatly mistaken in this assumption. The Koku Inn couldn't have been further from being called a resort. It was more of an over grown house where the owners allowed strangers to come sleep.  

"Hello, hello..." Mr. Sachi called setting down Masako's bags upon entering the Inn. Bou-san also relieved himself of his load. Lin and Naru continued to hold theirs with steely looks. John watched them sheepishly with his one bag. The small foyer they entered was lit by oil lamps, much like the theater, and held a simple desk, empty at the moment. Just then an ancient looking woman shuffled in, her hands holding a vase of fresh flowers.  

"Mrs. Koku, how are you?" Mr. Sachi beamed. The woman stood with her back to them, setting down the vase on the desk, she moved it a few a spots over, only to decide she did not like it there, and then moved it back.  

"Mrs. Koku?" Mr. Sachi persisted, his smile faltering a bit. Just then an equally ancient man crept in; he too faced away from them.  

"SAY, I WAS LOOKING FOR YOU. WATCHA DOING THERE?" he asked the old woman. Mai stared after them with wide eyes, for such a frail old man, he sure contained a powerful voice.  

"YOU SAY YOU WERE LOOKING FOR ME? I WAS JUST HERE, PUTTING UP THESE FLOWERS, I DON'T REALLY LIKE HOW THEY LOOK," the woman answered, practically yelling back at him. The man observed the vase thoughtfully, then slowly and precisely he moved it an inch to the left. The woman broke out in a wrinkled smile,  

"PERFECT MY DEAR!"  

They then shared a loud happy laugh. Mr. Sachi cleared his throat, but neither so much glanced his way.  

"I SAID,  _AHEM_."  

Startled the old woman grabbed her chest and the old man put a hand on the desk to steady himself,  

"SAY, WHAT'S THE MEANING OF SNEAKING UP ON US LIKE THAT?" 

Mr. Sachi smiled again,  

"Sorry about that, I've brought your guests from Tokyo," he explained. The old man looked to the old woman,  

"WHAT DID HE SAY? WHO ARE THESE STRANGE PEOPLE HE'S WITH? I ALWAYS KNEW HE WAS AN ODD ONE, DOING ALL THOSE PLAYS AND SUCH."  

Mr. Sachi turned a shade of pink,  

"I just told you-"  

"I DON'T KNOW WHO THEY ARE, BUT THAT TALL ONE GIVES ME THE CREEPS," the old woman replied, eyeing Lin apprehensively. Lin shifted and if it were possible, his face turned harder.  

"MR. AND MRS. KOKU, THESE ARE YOUR GUESTS FROM TOKYO," Mr. Sachi shouted, his face now beet red. The old woman and man blinked surprisedly,  

"OH. HELLO." Everyone bowed stiffly and murmured their hellos.  

"JOJI, WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST SAY SO?" Mrs. Koku wondered, shuffling around the desk and pulling out some rusty keys.  

" _I tried to..._ "

Mr. Koku was busy counting everyone in front of him, "SEVEN," he yelled at his wife, "HOW MANY ROOMS DO WE HAVE LEFT?"  

 _Left?_  Mai thought, looking at the Inn falling apart around her.  

"SIX," the Mrs. Koku answered with a frown. Everyone exchanged wondering looks,  

"We can always share a room," John suggested with a kind smile. Everyone nodded.  

"WHAT ARE THEY NODDING ABOUT? ARE THEY SLOW OR SOMETHING? THERE'S NOT ENOUGH ROOMS," the old woman said to her husband who shook his head. Mr. Sachi stepped forward hurriedly,  

"No, no, I would never ask you to share, I'll be more than happy to have one of you stay at my place, not to brag but it  _is_  one of the nicest houses in Nozomi..."  

Ayako perked up and took Mr. Sachi's arm; she obviously liked the idea, unimpressed with what she was saw here,  

"How nice of you Mr. Sachi, if you would just help me with my bags-"  

"Ah-" Mr. Sachi said wriggling out of Ayako's gasp, "I was wondering if Miss Hara-san would join me?"  

Ayako's face drained of all color. Mai knew the look, and if Mr. Sachi had been Bou-san at that moment, he would have been wise to duck and cover his head. Masako looked over surprisedly at Mr. Sachi and with one last glance around, consented with a modest giggle,  

"Well, I suppose I have no choice?"  

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE TALL WOMAN? SHE LOOKS LIKE SHE'S GOING TO KILL SOMEONE. I DON'T THINK I LIKE HER EITHER," the Mrs. Koku remarked to Mr. Koku, who nodded in agreement.  

Pleased, Mr. Sachi picked up Masako's bags again, taking the two from Naru also. Mai frowned sullenly at the medium;  

_Of course, she gets to stay somewhere nice...._

But then she caught her boss' eye, a small smile tugged at her lips, 

 _Of course, that means she won't be near Naru..._  

"I guess it's settled," Mai spoke up encouragingly. Masako sent her a sharp look; noting her rival's triumphant tone.  

"You are okay with this, aren't you?" the medium asked, turning to Naru, charm dripping off her every word. He nodded,  

"Just be here tomorrow morning."  

Mai watched the exchange in disgust.  

"OH LOOK HOW THE YOUNG GIRLS GLARE AT EACHOTHER," Mrs. Koku tutted.  

"I THINK THEY BOTH HAVE THEIR EYES SET ON THAT PALE YOUNG MAN," Mr. Koku answered certainly.  

"NOT MUCH TO LOOK AT IF YOU ASK ME..." Mrs. Koku appraised with a grunt. Masako's cheeks burned crimson, and Mai was sure her complexion matched. Out of the corner of her eye she caught Bou-san fighting to suppress his laughter. Ayako smiled smugly next to him.  

"Um, time to go I think," Mr. Sachi suggested, trying to move things along, sagging slightly under the weight of all the medium's luggage. Masako agreed, and with a quick goodbye they were out the door.  

"THEY'RE LEAVING?" Mrs. Koku asked her husband confusedly, "WHY DIDN'T THEY TAKE THE REST OF THESE WEIRDOS WITH THEM?...LOOK AT THE TALL ONE, HE'S REALLY SCARING ME."  

Mr. Koku patted his wife's shoulder, "YOU CAN LEAVE NOW TOO," he told them.  

Ayako, silently smoldering from being nixed, found her voice.  

"WE'RE NOT LEAVING, NOW GIVE ME THE KEYS!"  

The two looked stunned, but then frowned and crossed their arms, 

"WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE OUR ROOMS TO ANYONE."  

Ayako, turning red, was about to start a shouting match with the old couple, when Naru stepped in. It was not like him to raise his voice, so he let his actions speak instead. A sizable amount of money was set on the desk. 

Mr. and Mrs. Koku stared down at it with wide eyes and without looking up handed off the keys. Naru took them satisfiedly, obviously understanding how to communicate with them better than half the people shouting that night. For a moment they stood in silence and then as an after thought, Mrs. Koku pointed to the left.  

Naru followed her directions and lead them all down a dark hall. Mai looked around at the place with a frown, chunks of the wooden walls were missing, the floor creaked with her every step, babies cried from the doors they past, twice water dripped on her bare shoulder. They reached the first door and in a flash Ayako snatched the key out of Naru's hand, unlocked it, and slammed it in his face.  

The young man glared coldly after her, but then moved on. Bou-san set the miko's bags down in an unceremonious heap, as did Lin. At the next door they came to Naru offered a key to John, perhaps out of gratefulness that he hadn't cause him any grief that day. John took it with thanks, said a pleasant goodnight to everyone, and shut his door.  

The next key to be handed out was to Lin. Silently the Chinese man took it, and with a slight nod at Naru went in. Bou-san leaned over and whispered into Mai's ear,  

"I'll take the next one, and then you can have a room near Naru..." 

Mai looked up at Bou-san, who was smiling teasingly, and turned slightly pink,  

"Th-thanks," she whispered back. The monk nodded understandingly and winked at her. Naru stopped at the next room and made to hand Mai the key, but Bou-san snatched it up, 

"Thanks much, I'm beat, goodnight," and with a departing smile, he closed his door. 

Naru narrowed his eyes after him. Mai stood awkwardly next to Naru; cautiously she glanced up at him. Even after four hours in a van and running around a rural town, he was still as crisp and handsome as ever. Mai felt her cheeks burn hot. Luckily Naru didn't glance down at her, he simply moved on. 

They passed through the hall silent as ghosts. A moment later they reached the right door. Naru finally looked at her, his gaze felt heavy, Mai found herself blushing again. He extended her key. Mai, trying to take it without touching his hand, ended up brushing his fingers anyways. She bit her lip, but Naru had no reaction, he just stood there staring at her.  

"Well...goodnight," Mai managed.  

"Goodnight, Mai."  

And then he walked away, a shadow in the dark hall. His words echoing in her head, Mai heaved a sigh, shutting her door behind her.


	2. In Which: Mai And Bou-san Eat Cold Rice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who read, bookmarked, commented, and left kudos! You've made my first experience on AO3 so special! I'm so glad to see some of my "regular readers"...and to hear that you're happy I've posted here! And hello to any new readers out there! As always, I hope you enjoy!

**Day Two**

**6:45am**

**Koku Inn**

 

Soft light filtered through the murky window and passed across Mai's face. The young woman stirred, murmuring something in her sleep,

_Naru..._

A small bird perched it's self on her windowsill and let out a few hopeful chirps. Mai rolled onto her back, her hair lying around her head like an amber halo. The room was still, an open suitcase was pushed into a corner, a jacket, tank-top, and skirt lay in heaps about the room. Just then two knocks broke the silence. Mai frowned in her sleep and shifted to her side.

"Hey, Mai? You awake?"

Mai groaned as her mind flitted back to the conscious world,

"Leave me alone..."

"Mai. It's almost seven, time to get up," the voice persisted. Mai grabbed her pillow and covered her head,

"Bou-san, just give me a minute," she complained.

"You don't have a minute, they're serving breakfast and Mrs. Koku has informed me that if you're not down there to give your order-"

"I'm not hungry."

"Mai!" Bou-san protested, "I'm risking  _my_ breakfast here, if you don't come out here right now, I'm going to have to leave you and-"

"Bou-san, I appreciate this, but I'm  _not_  hungry."

Bou-san crossed his arms and frowned stubbornly at the door as if Mai could see him through it; ironically she  _could_  in her head as she laid there.

"Fine, fine..." Bou-san said, making to walk away, "I guess I'll just eat and watch Masako take your seat next to Naru and talk to him all morning about Mr. Sachi's house and how lonely she was without out him and-"

Mai's door flew open. The young woman looked flustered, she was running a brush through her hair as she pulled on a sock. Bou-san smiled back at the glare she was giving him,

"Good morning sunshine."

"Shut up."

The two reached the dining room just as Mr. Koku was about to shut the doors.

"WELL WHO DO WE HAVE HERE? LATE ARE YOU? YOU SHOULD KNOW AT THIS INN WE DO NOT TOLERATE TARTYNESS," the old man shouted.

The din of breakfast was utterly drowned out and thirty sets of eyes were now on them. At the back of the room sat SPR. Ayako was smirking amusedly, as was Masako (who to Mai's horror was already seated cozily next to Naru). Bou-san also noticed this and gave her an unsympathetic,  _I-told-you-so_ look. Mai glared up at him because he was right, and she didn't want him to be.

"IT WASN'T MY FAULT, I  _WAS_ HERE ON TIME, BUT SHE WOULDN'T GET OUT OF BED," Bou-san yelled back, trying to redirect the blame.

 _Oh,_ _nice Monk_ , Mai thought grumpily.

Mai tried to catch Naru's eye, but he was acting like he didn't know her, as was Lin. John stood and waved them over, immediately buckling as a sharp kick to the shin was administrated by Ayako. Mai smiled brightly at John (who was now rubbing his leg and wincing) and sent daggers at Ayako.

Marching over to their table, Mai took a seat next to Masako, who pretended not to care, and continued her rapt conversation with Naru,

"As I was saying..."

Bou-san took a seat next to Ayako, each sharing a glare as a greeting.

Seemingly invisible to the rest of the SPR team, Mai sat back and took in her surroundings. The dining hall was spacious, holding many tables, almost every one of them filled. The far wall was made up entirely of windows and let the morning light stream in. So far, Mai liked this room the best. At the table nearest them an older couple sat smiling and drinking tea, through the hum of the room, Mai caught bits of conversation:

" _....I always loved Miyuki..._ "

".... _j_ _ust a_ _couple_ _more days now...._ "

".... _I can't wait to see what it will be like this year?_ "

Interested, Mai found herself almost leaning out of her seat. Just then Mrs. Koku walked up, a large tray balanced on her hand. With a steadiness that was unexpected of her, the old woman began to set out different bowls of food. Smiles lit the hungry faces of the SPR group, thanks were murmured and they began to eat, that was...everyone except Bou-san and Mai. The two looked up at Mrs. Koku inquiringly and the old woman looked down at them smugly,

"LAST TO ARRIVE, LAST TO EAT."

Mai glared after the hunched figure retreating from their table, her stomach letting out a forlorn growl. Across from her, Bou-san didn't look any happier, eyeing Ayako's food desirously. In spite of him, the priestess ate every bite with obvious satisfaction.

"We'll set up at the theater after this," Naru spoke, bringing Mai's attention from her hunger,

"I would like to question Miss Miyuki further, Lin were you able to obtain her address from Mrs. Koku?"

Masako looked up from her bowl; Mai also fixed her gaze on Naru,

"Would you like some company?" the medium asked, jumping at her chance. Mai gritted her teeth; she blamed her empty stomach on her slow reaction,

_That Masako._

Naru set down his chopsticks across his bowl, dabbed at his mouth, and then took a sip of tea,

"No thank you Hara-san, Lin will be there to take notes."

Masako's cheeks flushed and she returned to her breakfast. Mai smiled to herself, but her rumbling stomach prevented her from feeling entirely victorious.

Ten minutes later, everything was finished but the tea. Finally, a shuffling sound. Mrs. Koku approached. In her hands rested a small tray, with a clank she set two bowls in front of Mai and Bou-san. Rice, plain and cold stared up at them. The old woman kept a straight face, but her eyes twinkled maliciously,

"ENJOY."

Mai hadn't the energy to protest; she stuck her chopsticks into the sticky rice and swallowed a lumpy bite. Masako watched her eat with amusement and Mai stared harder at her breakfast, determined to look like she was enjoying it. Bou-san had no such intention,

"Bah! What kind of dish is this?" he exclaimed, snatching up Ayako's bowl and pouring whatever was left into his bowl. Ayako opened her mouth to protest, but thought better of it when she saw the look Bou-san sent her.

Naru finished his tea and stood, "It's getting late. Lin and I are going to pay a visit to Miss Miyuki, the rest of you can set up base, we'll meet later."

And with that he and Lin excused themselves from the table. Mai's cold rice stuck in her throat, having been given no tea of her own, she stole Masako's. The medium made a face, but gave up and left the table too,

"I'll be at the theater."

Ayako sat back in her chair, glaring at Mai and Bou-san as they ate,

"Come on John," she said finally, "we're not waiting for them to finish."

"We're not?" John said, being bodily dragged from his seat. Mai watched them all go with little interest; Bou-san stole some of John's food next,

"Want any?" he offered half-heartedly.

Mai shook her head slowly, her eyes sliding over to Naru's bowl. Innocently she drew it over to herself. Bou-san watched her in-between bites with a raised eyebrow. Mai pretended to ignore his look and peered into Naru's bowl: cold rice. Mai pushed it away rather hard and rested her chin in her hands with a sigh,

"Hurry up Bou-san; they'll need to help setting up base..."

Bou-san frowned at her,

"I'll take all the time I need thank you, remember you're the reason this happened."

Mai glanced at the table next to her, it was empty, in fact many of the tables now only held dirty dishes.

"Bou-san," she said in a lowered voice, "why do you think this place is so full? I mean it's, well-"

"A dump?"

Mai sent a guilty look around, "...yeah."

Bou-san shrugged, "I don't know, maybe there's some kind of festival going on nearby?"

Mai nodded thoughtfully, running her finger over the grains of wood in the table,

"Maybe..."

Just then the dining hall doors opened. A young man about Mai's age walked in. He looked surprised to see them, but then smiled and made a slight bow. Mai and Bou-san smiled back and politely nodded their heads towards him. The young man then set to work, with a tub and dish towel in hand he began to collect the dishes and wipe off the tables. Bou-san watched Mai watch the young man and tutted under his breath,

" _...no loyalty..._ "

Mai's head snapped around and her cheeks colored,

"Eh? What was that Bou-san?"

"If only Naru was here to see how quickly-"

Mai, doing a good impression of Ayako, stomped on Bou-san's foot. Bou-san choked on his rice and cried out,

"Ow, what did you do that for? It's the truth-"

Mai made to stomp on his other foot, but then caught the young man's eye and laughed nervously,

"Hey- you okay?" she said patting Bou-san's back rather hard. The young man returned to his work. Mai narrowed her eyes at the monk across from her,

"Are you done yet?"

Bou-san narrowed his eyes back at her, " _I am now_."

"Good."

Mai stood and brushed herself off and the young man approached their table,

"I hope you enjoyed your breakfast," he said brightly.

Bou-san stood and the two of them faked a pair large smiles, "Oh, yes."

This satisfied the young man,

"I'm glad to hear it, I'm Niko Koku, my grandparents own this Inn."

With Bou-san's gaze burning a hole in her face, Mai smiled stiffly,

"Nice to meet you, I'm Mai Taniyama, and this is-"

"Houshou Takigawa," Bou-san cut in. Niko smiled and bowed again,

"Well, Takigawa-san...Mai, I hope you enjoy your stay with us, maybe we'll run into each other another time?"

Both of them agreed, and left in the wake of more bowing. Bou-san was rubbing his chin as they walked out the front door,

"Very old fashion this town..."

"Yeah," Mai replied blinking into the sunlight.

Outside, Nozomi was alive with activity, a large square ahead of them had what had to be half the town milling about, setting up what looked like stalls, little girls ran around laughing with bouquets of flowers. Men carried pieces of wood and piled them near a group who were all busy discussing something. A scattering of people had gathered to watch. Mai looked up at Bou-san questioningly.

"Maybe that festival we talked about?" he offered thoughtfully.

Then Mai caught sight of two people she recognized,

"Hey- that's Mr. Sachi and Masako."

"Huh?" Bou-san said, his eyes scanning the crowd.

"By the men with the boards," Mai persisted, tugging on his sleeve to get him to come with her. Squeezing past the throng, Mai and Bou-san came to stand behind the medium who Mr. Sachi was talking very animatedly to.

"So you see Masako, the stage will be built right here...."

Mai's eyes widened,

_Masako?_

Bou-san cleared his throat uncomfortably and Masako whirled around, actually looking relieved to see them. Eagerly she took Mai's arm like an old friend, a radiant smile turned on,

"Oh hello Mai, Takigawa-san-- Mr. Sachi here was just explaining Nozomi's plans for a stage in their festival, do continue Mr. Sachi."

For a moment Mr. Sachi had trouble composing himself, he struggled not to look put out by their arrival,

"Ah, well-- yes, we plan to build a stage," he managed feebly.

"Joji!" a sweet voice cried. Waving at him, Nari walked up. Mr. Sachi smiled lightly,

"Hello, Nari," he greeted. The woman clasped her hands together excitedly,

"Oh don't you just  _love_  the energy of this festival?"

Mai smiled despite herself, the actress seemed enchanted.

"Well yes, I was just telling Masako what some of our plans are," he explained, offering up a warm smile to the medium. Masako's kindly expression was strained.

Nari's smile fell, the enchantment draining from her eyes, "Oh."

"What is this festival?" Bou-san prompted, breaking the uncomfortable trend in conversation. Mr. Sachi drew himself up importantly,

"Only the most significant festival for miles. Its seven days of honoring our great Takuya Miyuki. At least eight neighboring towns come every year, and it's all driven by a love of theater."

And now Mr. Sachi looked enchanted. Bou-san crossed his arms and mulled this over in his head,

"A bit of bad timing calling us out here now, eh?"

Mr. Sachi blinked surprisedly, "You think? I wouldn't say so. You don't know the full story, but...now is not the time for that," he dismissed, lowering his voice.

"Where is John and Ayako?" Mai wondered to Masako.

The medium looked over to the theater, "I don't know I haven't seen them."

"Joji," Nari spoke up, her eyes landing briefly on Masako, "don't we need to go over some things?"

"Ah, yes. Masako would you like to join us? Some of this might interest you; I think I know a future actress when I see one..."

Masako's tight smile cracked; quickly her sleeve came to the rescue, covering her mouth in that flattering way Mai hated,

"Oh no, I would only be in the way, I'll go with Mai and Takigawa-san."

Mr. Sachi looked supremely disappointed, but then brightened,

"Very well, I'll be with you again shortly."

Mai exchanged a look with Bou-san. Masako seemed flustered as they helped her away from their very  _forward_ client. As they made their way to the edge of the crowd, the medium reclaimed her arm and straightened her kimono.

"I hope you don't consider this a debt to you?" Masako spoke lowly, out of ear shot of Bou-san.

Mai raised an eyebrow at her rival, "Certainly not."

"Good," she said, composed again.

"I suppose we should join Ayako and John?" Bou-san suggested, not missing the exchange.

Mai, arms crossed against her chest, just glared silently at Masako. Masako simply stared ahead, pretending not to notice. Bou-san hung his head and sighed,

"Come on you two," he coaxed.

The three of them reached the theater doors. Mai stopped for a moment to focus. Next to her Masako did the same, an angelic hand rising to her throat. Mai found herself distracted,  _what a show off...._ Bou-san was a few steps ahead of them, ready to go in,

"Eh? You two feel something?"

Mai closed her eyes. She willed herself open to anything, any feeling, any pulse of energy....nothing. Mai shook her head and opened her eyes. Bou-san nodded, they looked to Masako. She was taking a bit longer to feel out her surroundings, but Mai knew what the end result would be. Masako bowed her head and sighed,

"Nothing," she murmured.

"Well that's alright, let's find Ayako and John, maybe the equipment will pick up something?" Bou-san encouraged, pushing the doors open.

Mai and Masako passed through the entryway and froze. Mai's vision blurred, her head spun, her cold rice breakfast planning on making a quick exit. Mai clamped a hand over her mouth to prevent it. Beside her, Masako dropped to her knees.

"Mai! Masako!"

Bou-san's voice sounded fuzzy...distant. A strong hand seized her arm and pulled her along. Slowly, the sensation began to leave her- her vision sharpened, the floor steadied, her stomach stopped tossing around what little she had ate that morning. In a moment the only thing she still felt was a headache.

"Mai..?" Bou-san persisted. There were foot steps down the hall.

"What happened here?" Ayako's voice cried.

"Masako, Mai-- are you alright?" came John's soft voice.

Mai looked up at all of them; Bou-san was hunched next to herself and Masako, "I'm fine..."

"I'm okay too..." Masako answered.

Just then Naru and Lin walked in, both staring in surprise at the sight of them on the floor, they hurried forward, "What's going on?"

" _Naru!_ " Masako cried, throwing herself at him, "It was  _awful_..."

Hands clenched, Mai stood up,

" _Don't worry I'm fine_..."

"What happened here?" Naru questioned, standing stiffly while Masako clung to him.

"I don't know," Bou-san spoke, baffled, "We were just coming in, when suddenly..."

"I felt sick, the room was spinning..." Mai explained.

" _My legs gave out...the world grew so dark..._ " Masako added, her voice muffled by Naru's shirt.

Mai's blood began to boil. How was it that they both experienced the same thing, yet only Masako got to fall into Naru while he stood there without so much as a concerned look thrown her way? Naru disentangled himself from Masako's helpless form and guided her over to the capable arms of Bou-san. Masako was suddenly much better, and resisted any support from the monk.

"You say you felt it when you walked in?" Naru said, already heading back down the hall.

"Yes," Mai and Masako called after him, glaring at each other afterward.

Lin joined him at the doors, looking them over.

"You didn't see anything, did you?" Naru asked, running his hand along the door frame.

"If you don't count blotchy spots, no," Mai answered dryly.

Naru sent her a look, then returned his gaze to the door, "And you...Hara-san?"

"Not that I recall," Masako answered.

Naru closed his eyes, "Lin, what do you sense?"

The Chinese man stood back and closed his eyes as well, "I feel pressure, there's a slight pounding in my head...but it's so light, I would have to stand here a while to even notice it."

Naru nodded, "I feel the same...it's odd. John, Bou-san, do you notice anything?"

Both men came forward, they stood for a moment. John frowned after a while, "I feel a bit of unease..."

"I feel slightly warmer, uncomfortable," Bou-san commented. Naru nodded again and then he addressed the miko,

"Matsuzaki-san, if you would please?" Ayako stood taller and walked confidently towards the doors-- then she stopped. A sour expression came over her face,

"My head..." she managed. Bou-san guided her back into the hall. Naru lead the rest of them back as well, his eyes dark with thought,

"It's interesting; the women seem more affected by it."

There was the sound of laughter, two people turned the corner into the lobby. Mr. Sachi and Nari. Nari's laugh caught in her throat. A strange look came over her features. She brought a hand up, covering her nose. Her face was red in an instant. Her legs suddenly gave out.

"Nari!" Mr. Sachi cried, immediately at her side. Naru raced forward, pulling the actress along into the hall, a shocked Mr. Sachi following. Nari frantically grasped at her neck, Naru's eyes swept over her,

"Bou-san, water!"

Bou-san was gone in a flash, Mai had no idea how he knew where to find any, but he was back in the next instant with a cup full of it. Naru splashed it straight on her. Nari gasped and sputtered. Blinking the water out of her eyes, she breathed deeply. Tense moments past, her breathing slowed, her hand fell from her throat, she sat up better with Naru's assistance. Mr. Sachi leaned in close to her, he took her hand with concern blazing in his eyes, "Nari...are you-- okay?"

"What in the world?"

Everyone looked to the end of the hall. There stood a tall woman; her blonde hair falling onto her shoulders.

"Ah, Miss Miyuki--  _perfect_ timing," Mr. Sachi's voice was brittle and strained.

Miss Miyuki frowned, a hard look in her eyes,

"Obviously  _not._  Nari...is that you? Is she okay?"

"We  _think_. Nari, how are you?" Mr. Sachi persisted. Miss Miyuki disappeared behind the corner, presumably to the ticket booth, then she appeared again with a bottle of water, she reached them and went to hand it off to Nari, who up until now, had just been staring around, eyes wide.

"Here." Ms. Miyuki offered.  _Slap_. The bottle was knocked clear away. Nari's eyes burned,

"You-- you did this!"

Miss Miyuki's mouth hung open, she drew back, "Excuse me?"

"You made him this way, you are the reason for his wrath!" Nari exclaimed, her voice cracking.

The shock subsided from Miss Miyuki's face,

"You can't possibly mean my father?"

"Of course she does!" Mr. Sachi stepped in, rallying behind his actress. Miss Miyuki regarded him with contempt,

"You're impossible! I come for papers, and then I try to help, and this is what I get?"

Her voice was venom. Mr. Sachi faltered,

"Well--" he said, attempting the firm tone that had suddenly left him, "leave. This matter doesn't concern you, you'll get your papers later."

Miss Miyuki's posture stiffened, she looked as though she were about to protest, but then abruptly turned on heel,

"I'll be back. Have what I need ready."

The front doors slammed. Mr. Sachi watched after her, speechless, "The nerve of that woman!" he spat. His strength seeming to have returned, he looked back to Nari, "Don't worry; I won't let this happen again."

Nari nodded, and pulling a Masako, threw her arms around his neck. Mr. Sachi patted her back lightly. Uncomfortable, Naru stood up and looked to the rest of his team, "Let's set up base."

Nari was helped into the room they had talked in the day before, given some tea, and left in the care of John.

"This base of yours, where were you thinking?" Mr. Sachi wondered as they walked the hall. Naru glanced over at him,

"I was thinking Nari's powder room."

Mr. Sachi looked a bit surprised, but nodded, "I'm sure that can be arranged, but the space...surely you require a larger room?"

"The powder room will work just fine," Naru answered.

Mai winced, the tone he was using, you couldn't argue with it. Mr. Sachi shrugged,

"It's yours, I'll allow Nari to use mine for the time being."

"Good."

They reached the powder room, empty, the walls clean.

"Nari moved out yesterday anyways..." Mr. Sachi added. Naru looked back at his team,

"Okay, let's bring it in."

An hour later, ten camera screens glowed, tinting the dark room's walls blue. Mai stared at the screen watching the entryway, what was it that she had felt earlier? What had caused Nari's reaction? Naru adjusted a few dials on his computer,

"Lin, how are our generators working?"

Lin took a seat in front of a lap top, "Fine, for now."

Naru nodded, "Mai--"

The young woman tore her gaze from the screens, "Eh?"

"Good work with the cameras."

Mai smiled, her eyes finding Masako, but the medium appeared to not have heard.

"Bou-san, Matsuzaki-san," Naru spoke, standing up from leaning over his computer, "I want you to get a feeling for this place."

The monk and the priestess nodded and left the room.

"Hara-san, go to John, I want you two to do some investigating for me, see what you can learn about Nari from the towns people."

A flicker of confusion crossed Masako's face before she nodded and left the room also. Mai now stood awkwardly again, what could she do? Naru looked over at her, his eyes softened,

"You look tired Mai, go back to the Inn and get some sleep."

Mai swallowed and nodded dumbly, so she was useful after all, he wanted her to dream...


	3. In Which: Mai Is Allergic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, another upload! I'm revising my chapters as I go, cleaning them up a bit-- I always find something to polish! A very sincere thank you to everyone following along, reading for the first time or going back and reading again! You kudos and comments touch my heart <3 As always, I hope you enjoy!

**Day Two**

**12:45pm**

**Miyuki Theater**

Mai turned the corner and stopped. In the afternoon sunlight, the heavy doors of the Miyuki Theater seemed normal enough. A twinge of pain in her head reminded Mai of the episode she had not more than hour ago. Sure they looked peaceful, but one step through them, and she could be on the floor. How was she supposed to get out?

Mai glanced around, and finding no solution, took a steady breath. Carefully she began to move forward, at any sign of discomfort, she planned to back away. Faster than she liked, she approached the doors,

_So far, so good..._

Her hand loomed before the handle. Mai let out a small gasp and drew it back. It was as if she had touched an electric spider web, her skin prickled. With a new found determination, Mai set her jaw and extended her hand again.

The sensation returned, but she was already grasping the door handle. Propelled by her discomfort she quickly turned it and burst through the doors. A wave of sickness hit her, her head pounded once more, but she was out, the worst was over it seemed.

Taking a moment, Mai sat herself on the theater's front steps. Her stomach took it's time to settle, her head showed no signs of ending its throbbing. Out in front of her the town still bustled about, a few stalls were even set up now.

_So this is the Miyuki festival?_

Mai watched how much attention to detail was being given,

_They really must have loved Mr. Miyuki..._

Slowly feeling better, Mai stood and headed for the Inn. That was when a thought at the back of her mind began to nag at her. It was strange. Naru had never asked to use her abilities before...why now?

For a moment it bothered her so much that she very nearly marched back into that theater to demand an answer, but it only took one thought of those doors and she continued on,

_What is Naru thinking?_

Lost in thought, Mai pushed open the Inn door and made her way through the empty lobby. She was just passing the dining room when someone called out to her,

"Mai?"

A bit surprised, she stopped and peeked her head in. Alone, in the far corner of the room, sat Niko.

"Oh, hi," she greeted; smiling weakly as she remembered the cold rice she ate that morning.

"I thought that was you, have you had lunch?" he wondered, already moving over to accommodate his guest. Mai held up her hands, about to politely decline, she had some dreaming to do after all...but an ill-timed growl of her stomach ruined it. The two shared a laugh, and reluctantly Mai sat at his table,

"I'll fix something up for you," Niko said, walking towards the kitchen.

"Thank you," Mai said, with a grateful bow of her head.

As soon as she was alone, Mai sighed and rested her head on her arms. Seemingly out of no where, a yawn came forth.

_I guess I am tired..._

The room around her seemed to grow comfortably warm. A bird flew past the windows letting in the soft afternoon light. The dinging room was silent, some where far off, a clang of a pot sounded. Without knowing it, Mai found her eyelids sliding shut.

She was in a dark room, heavy velvet curtains were drawn against large windows. The wooden floor beneath her feet was covered with an ornate rug depicting an outlandish play, with actors dressed as gods and goddesses on stage. For a moment, Mai was lost in its story. A loud  _crack_ drew her out of it. Looking up quickly, she noticed a fireplace, a warm fire burning inside. Mai closed her eyes and searched her feelings,

_I'm dreaming._

Somehow she did not feel uneasy, only a bit sad. There was a soft muffled sound. Mai opened her eyes. Placed in front of the fire were two large chairs, one of them occupied. Mai froze, for a moment panic filled her, she had learned just how dangerous these dreams could be.

The muffled sound continued. In spite of her apprehension, Mai found herself drifting forward. The figure in the chair came into view. An older man, with the orange light of the fire dancing across him, sat weeping into his hands. The small sadness in Mai heart swelled. The corners of her eyes burned. Attempting to compose herself, Mai wiped her tears away; these were not her feelings....

The man brought his face from his hands. He looked right up at her. Mai's heart plummeted into her stomach. The man blinked and stared, his wet cheeks glistening, his eyes red and heavy with sadness. Mai let out a long breath; he was looking right  _through_ her. He stared at the same spot through her for what seemed like ages, as though in some sort of trance.

_No,_ Mai thought,  _he's lost in memory_.

Finally he turned away from Mai and looked into the fire, which now was burning low. With surprising ease and grace, he stood and tossed another log in. He then settled himself back down again. As if having a mind of its own, his hand reached for the small table beside him. On it a single picture frame. Staring into the flames, he picked it up, and drawing it to his chest, cried silent tears.

Mai stood there fighting her own emotions. Lured by something, she found herself standing behind the man's chair, looking down on him. Tenderly he drew the frame from his chest and gazed down at it. A small girl about seven smiled up at him, her beautiful golden locks spilling out across her shoulders, her bright blue eyes twinkling with laughter.

A spark of recognition, Mai narrowed her eyes and leaned in further,

_Where have I seen that face?_

The man placed his hand across the picture and closed his eyes, in a gentle voice he spoke,

" _Oh my dear Kioko, what has happened to you?_ "

" _Kioko..._ " Mai murmured, trying to remember something, anything...

And then something struck her. She stood back from the chair and cast a look around her. If this was her usual dream, then where was...

"Naru?" she called. Her handsome boss was no where to be seen. Mai looked back to the old man, what was she supposed to make of all this? Naru always visited her in her dreams, if even only to point...

_Naru, where are you?_

Suddenly things began to grow hazy around the edges, Mai's throat tightened, great emotion over came her. The man began to cry harder, and Mai cried with him, unable to stop this time. Suddenly she was tugged back. A firm hand on her shoulder gave another shake. A voice, soft at first, but growing louder, filled her ears,

"Mai!"

Mai jolted awake. Her face was wet with tears.

"Mai? Are you alright? When I came back with your food you were, just- just laying there," Niko explained. His face hovered close to hers, filled with obvious concern.

Disoriented and confused, Mai wiped at her eyes,

"Oh, um-- I'm fine," she stammered.

Niko didn't looked convinced,

"Mai...what happened?"

Mai opened her mouth to speak, but then shut it. It wasn't as if she could say,

_Oh, you know...just had a psychic dream-- got a bit emotional, no big deal!_

She thought carefully on her words. There weren't very many explanations she could pull out of thin air with this one.

"Allergies," she finally said, hoping that she didn't look half as stupid as she sounded. Niko blinked at her, he didn't seem to understand.

"Uh- I have  _terrible_ allergies. I had an attack, do you perhaps have any..." Mai's eyes frantically searched the room for something she could be allergic to, then-- there at the next table over-- "...lilies around?"

Niko's gaze fell on the vase of flowers, "You're allergic to lilies?"

"Yes," Mai answered, this was it; she was going all the way with this one, "Ever since I was little."

A sudden frown crossed Niko's face,

"I'm so sorry, you must be the most devoted Miyuki fan of all, to come to his Festival of Lilies, even though you're so terribly allergic," he said in admiration.

Mai's cheeks burned hot in guilt, Niko seemed to think her some kind of hero.She suddenly stood up,

"I better go, I really shouldn't be around them unless I have to," she said, already leaving the table.

Niko stood back to let her pass, his eyes still shining at her in amazement,

"Of course. I'll be sure to tell my grandparents not to put any in the dining room tomorrow."

Mai smiled strainedly at him on the way out, "Oh. Thank you."

"You're most welcome, Mai," he bowed. She was gone before he could right himself.

**2:00pm**

**The Motoshi residence**

Masako glanced over at John who sat next to her on Mrs. Motoshi's couch. He smiled at her kindly, but she could see he was just as thoughtful as herself. Mrs. Motoshi was proving to be quite a person; an interesting picture of Nari was being painted.

Earlier that day, when Naru had sent her to find John and investigate, she had been thoroughly confused. And  _who_  did he want them to investigate? Nari. The choice struck her as odd, and usually she prided herself on understanding Naru, but why the actress?

Dutifully though, she obeyed, and went to find John. He was sitting with the woman when Masako walked in.

"Here, how are you feeling?" John asked as he handed off a glass of water. Nari accepted it gratefully,

"Better. Thank you."

"It's no problem at all," John replied with an obliging smile. Masako cleared her throat and the young priest looked up. Masako smiled lightly and nodded to the both of them,

"John, might I see you for a moment?" John nodded and excused himself, Masako lead him a few feet from the door.

"Naru would like us to do some investigating," she began, staring distractedly at Nari. The actress sat motionless on the couch. John followed the medium's gaze,

"Investigating?"

Masako nodded, "Yes. Her."

John raised an eyebrow,

"Nari? Do you know why?"

"No," Masako answered, shaking her head, "He just wants us to ask around, see what we can come up with."

"Okay, I'll be right back," John said joining the actress again.

Politely, the young priest took his leave and followed Masako to the front doors of the theater. The medium paused. She closed her eyes, trying once more to feel anything--  _anything_  at all to explain what she and Mai had experienced earlier. But there was nothing, not a single trace of a spiritual energy. Disappointed Masako opened her eyes and noticed John's gentle gaze settled upon her.

"Are you alright?"

Masako stood up straighter,

"I'm fine, I was just hoping to link what I experienced earlier when I passed through these doors, to a spirit, but I feel none."

John frowned,

"We should probably find another way out, surely there's a back door?"

Masako shook her head,

"No. I want to try again."

John nodded respectfully and followed a step behind. Masako reached for the door handle and let out a small gasp.

"Masako?"

The medium narrowed her eyes, and despite the discomfort, waved her hand around. The sensation crept over hand with steady intensity. John stood at her side and also extended his hand, a deep thoughtfulness filled his blue eyes. Masako began to feel herself grow sick. Quickly, she opened the door-- and rushed out. At the theater stairs she halted, collecting herself.

"It's strange," John murmured as he walked up, "It's as if I've felt this before..."

Masako nodded,

"Yes..."

A few minutes went by, but finally the medium recovered enough to continue on. Descending the stairs, the two of them took in their surroundings.

"Where do we begin?" John said, a bit overwhelmed as he watched half the town mill about the festival grounds.

"Do you want to split up?" Masako asked, looking to him.

John smiled and shrugged,

"If you think it would help?"

Masako took in the crowd,

"Perhaps not..."

Uncertainly they wandered the festival grounds. A few times John tried to ask some questions, but he was just met with much bowing and apologizes as they were too busy to talk. John sighed and gave Masako a sheepish look as yet another woman he tried to stop bowed and rushed away from him.

Masako brought her hands together; carefully she scanned the mass of people darting back and forth in front of her. Surely there was  _one_ person here who didn't have to race off somewhere? Masako's gaze traveled over the many stands being set up, but then, there-- in a shady corner: a group of old women.

"John, this way," Masako said, moving towards them. A bit confused, John followed, trying a couple times more to stop someone. No such luck.

The old women they approached had as many folds in their faces as in the yards and yards of fabric that hung about them. They seemed to be making costumes, their frail hands sticking needles in and out, in and out, of brightly colored material. Masako bowed deeply, followed by John. The women cracked smiles, their faces rippling like the water's surface after a stone is dropped.

"Pardon us, but might we ask a few questions?" Masako wondered, the smile she usually reserved for Naru painted on her face. The old women were charmed,

"Of course dear," one of them agreed, "but what questions could you possibly have for a couple of old timers?"

The other ladies cackled. One of them leaned over to her friend,

"Lookie there, ah to be young again..." she whispered loudly, winking at John who quickly turned scarlet. Masako shifted where she stood, they were getting off the point,

"Do any of you know the actress Nari?"

"Nari..." the first woman said knowingly, "bright girl, works well with Joji." The others murmured that they agreed.

"Come, come, you're making me hot standing there in the sun like that," another woman spoke up, motioning John to her side. There was more low cackling as John reluctantly sat near her. Masako knelt where she stood and pursued their cause,

"Surely you know more of her? Was she born here?"

The women reacted indignantly, grumbling amongst themselves,

"Of course she was! No one ever leaves Nozomi, that is...no one but--"

"Bah! Don't burn our ears with her name!" one of them suddenly protested. The women now stuck their needles in and out aggressively. Masako could tell she upset them-- respectfully, she bowed her head and stood, "Thank you for your time."

"What? You're leaving?" the one who had winked at John, asked, eyeing him now like a hawk.

"Not so soon," her friend added, smiling toothlessly at the helpless priest.

"Let him stay, us old ladies need some company, we'll babysit while you poke around," the old woman who had invited John to sit beside her suggested, taking his arm possessively.

John looked up to Masako in desperation. The others joined in, begging her to give him over. Growing tired of this, and sympathetic to John's embarrassment, the medium marched over and pulled John to her side,

"Sorry ladies, I need him with me."

Some gaped at her, some narrowed their eyes, all of them murmured their disappointment. Just as Masako was leading John away, the first woman spoke again,

"If it is Nari you want to know about, why not just ask her mother? They live not five houses from here."

Masako smiled and bowed again,

"Thank you very much."

Once they were out of sight, Masako let John's arm go,

"Thank you for that," he said gratefully. Masako smiled a rare amused smile,

"What would you have done if I had left you?"

John raised an eyebrow at her fringing hurt, but the gleam in his eye gave him away,

"Where do you think this house is?" he wondered, changing the subject skillfully. Masako stopped and pointed a few yards ahead of them,

"There. That's the fifth one."

The house was old, but well kept up. A sunny garden was planted all along the front.

"Look at all the lilies," John commented as they reached the front door.

"Maybe they're native to Nozomi?" Masako suggested a bit distractedly. How could they ask questions without raising suspicions?

"Follow my lead," Masako said, turning to John. The priest nodded and Masako knocked on the door. After a moment the door swung open, a short woman with Nari's hair and eyes stood before them inquiringly,

"Can I help you?"

Masako and John bowed,

"Hello, is this the home of the actress Nari?"

The woman blinked at them,

"Ah yes, I'm her mother, Sumiko Motoshi...can I help you? Is something wrong?"

Masako turned on her charm, she could see past the small woman. All along the walls, pictures of Nari, awards in Nari's name, theater scripts, costumes...

"Perhaps you can? This is John Brown, and I'm Masako Hara, maybe you've heard of me? We're visiting from Tokyo, we've seen your daughter perform, she's quiet something..." Carefully the medium let her last words dangle; she could feel John's confused eyes on her. Mrs. Motoshi's eyes widened, a radiant smile lit her face,

" _Oh_ \-- Hara-san, what an honor! Please come in! Nari isn't here, but I'm sure she'll be by soon, she  _really_ is something special isn't she?"

In that moment they were ushered in,

"Make yourselves comfortable, I'll bring some tea," the woman urged, motioning towards a couch. Satisfied, Masako sat. John followed uncertainly, his intent gaze eventually caused the medium to look at him,

"Yes, John?"

Beside her John was smiling at her crookedly,

"That was impressive."

Masako blinked quickly, taken a bit off guard, oddly her cheeks colored, she looked away, instantly her sleeve coming to her rescue,

"It was nothing."

John laughed good-naturedly,

"Nothing? I don't think so. I wonder if Naru has any idea how clever you are..."

Masako's head shot back to John, her cheeks coloring deeper,

"Pardon me?"

Just then Mrs. Motoshi walked in, a tray of rice cakes in her hands,

"The tea will be ready soon, rice cake?"

John smiled brightly and took one,

"Thank you."

Flustered Masako waved hers away, her cheeks taking their time to drain of color. Mrs. Motoshi sat down and crossed her legs; nervously she smoothed out her worn skirt,

"I'm afraid I didn't ask what it was you wanted here...?" she began; a light smile still gracing her face, her eyes searched theirs anxiously.

"We would like to learn more about your daughter."

**3:30pm**

**The Miyuki Theater**

Ayako closed the door to the room she had just investigated. She felt nothing, she certainly  _saw_  nothing. What was Naru doing? As much as she hated to admit it, they needed Masako for things like this. Bou-san joined her in the dim hall; he shook his head and shrugged.

"It's really no use, I don't feel anything, and even if there was a spirit in there, how am I supposed to tell?" the monk complained. Ayako sighed,

"Why do I get the feeling that we've just been sent on a wild goose chase?"

"Hey, that's Naru for you..."

Bou-san sighed with her. Ayako crossed her arms, burning a hole in the floor with her gaze.

"Something wrong?" Bou-san asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I bet this is all apart of some scheme of his, he wanted us out of there, I know it...what is that arrogant jerk up to?"

"Well, I'm all for finding out-- let's go back," Bou-san answered readily, he had spent enough time wandering around this theater.

"Sounds good," Ayako agreed, leading the way down the hall.

"Uh--" Bou-san spoke up, "base is this way," he said, pointing towards the hall to their left. Ayako paused looking back at him,

"No, it's this way," she persisted stabbing the air in her direction as to prove her point. Bou-san crossed his arms and shook his head,

"Nope, you're turned around, it's back this way."

Ayako's expression soured a bit,

"I think I know which way base is."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"You don't."

"I do."

" _Don't_!"

" _Do_!"

Agitated and red in the face, both the monk and the priestess stood glaring at each other.

"Fine, if you're so smart, go that way-- but base is  _this_  way," Bou-san finally said, turning on heel and walking back to the left.

Ayako's stare sent daggers after his retreating back,

"Have fun getting lost," she called after him, storming down her own hall.

" _Idiot priestess..._ "

The miko froze. Her face burned the color of her hair, with terrible deliberation; she turned around,

" _What did you just say?_ "

Bou-san, some ways down his hall, barely heard her,

"Huh, you say something? Sorry, was it?"

Then the monk then caught sight of her, a blaring red figure in the dimness. Maybe she didn't say sorry after all...

"Hey, what's your problem?"

" _Say that again, I dare you..._ " she muttered darkly.

"What's....your problem?" Bou-san repeated confusedly. Ayako marched a few steps towards him,

"Don't play  _dumb_  with me, Monk."

"Hey, now-- no need to be so angry..."

Ayako halted, her face twitching dangerously. Bou-san continued to stand a few feet from her in unease... _what had he done so wrong?_  Finally, just when he figured she was going to blow, she merely let out a long breath, all anger draining from her. The only thing that remained was a hard glint in her eye.

"Fine. Be that way. I don't have time for your juvenile games," she said, waving her hand around like she always did when she found defeat. Stalking away from him, she left Bou-san to stare wide-eyed after her. His unease did not leave him...this couldn't be over; Ayako just didn't give up like this. She was more than halfway down her hall when he finally shrugged and turned to go his own way.  _Women,_  he would never understand them...

Just then-- a shriek. Ayako's shriek. Bou-san spun around and bolted down the hall. An instant later he found the priestess backed up against the wall, a perfectly manicured hand clutching her chest, her stunned face rather pale.

"Ayako..." Bou-san said, gripping her shoulder when she didn't react. Her eyes flicked to him, her hand extended to point to the mirror in front of her. Bou-san blinked in surprise, this whole section of hall was lined with them. Oval, gilded, and antique, their reflections smooth and silvery. Bou-san gazed at their refection in the mirror before them, Ayako appearing as startled as if she had seen a ghost. A small smile tugged at his lips,

"Come now Matsuzaki-san, we all have bad hair days..." he chided, unable to resist.

Her first real reaction, she snapped her head towards him with a fierce glare,

"This isn't about  _bad_ hair days,  _Takigawa-san_ , I-- I saw something..."

Bou-san's smile vanished; he raised a dark eyebrow at her,

" _You saw something?_ "

Ayako grew impatient with him,

"Yes!" she snapped jerking her shoulder out of his grip and righting herself. Bou-san was slightly relieved to see the color return to her cheeks, less relieved to have her mouth working again.

"Are you doubting me?" she persisted, her stare piercing. Bou-san did not meet her gaze but instead looked into the mirror more closely,

"Just what do you think you saw?"

Ayako bit her lip and glanced around. Bou-san looked back to her inquiringly, this nervous gesture piquing his curiosity.

" _Well...?_ "

Ayako fixed him with a look that dared him to laugh at the next thing she said,

"I think, I mean I know-- I saw myself...old...or...dead, I don't know which."

Bou-san's initial instinct to laugh at her vanity died when the word  _dead_ passed her lips. He now stared hard at the mirror. He passed his hand in front of it a few times, walked back and forth past it, tapped at it, but nothing-- he only saw his agitated refection. It was as if Ayako could read his mind,

"I know what I saw. I don't need you to believe me."

Bou-san's eyes met hers in the mirror. She had been unusually angry moments before, who's to say she didn't just imagine it?

"I don't know about this, but what I do know is it's getting late now, and base is back  _that_ way," he said thrusting his thumb back up the hall suggestively.

Ayako arms crossed tightly in front of her, snorted with frustration, then marched ahead. Bou-san shook his head. He ran a hand through his hair, watching himself in the mirror one last time. Nothing. He flashed a smile, young and good looking as ever. Rather confidently he proceeded after the fuming priestess.

Then-- his heart nearly stopped. Passing the last mirror, something ghastly leered out at him, as though it meant to climb out of the mirror itself. Bou-san froze, unable to look away from the decay in his face, his unnaturally wrinkled and sagging skin, the color of ash. A sound of shock must have past his lips, because Ayako was immediately at his side,

"What? What? Did you see it?!" she demanded, staring into the same mirror he was, only able to see his white face twisted with alarm.

"Bou-san--" she protested, shaking his shoulder rather hard. Suddenly he snapped out of it. He instantly took Ayako's arm and half carried her down the hall as fast as he could,

"Bou-san!" she gasped in confusion, half-heartily trying to pry herself from his grip, in truth she was more than happy to leave that place behind, but must he drag her? She had legs after all! He did not react to her repeated cries to unhand her, he just continued on, a cold sweat sliding across his forehead.

"Bou-san, stop!" Ayako exclaimed, digging in her heels. They were near base now and she certainly wasn't going to let Naru and Lin see them like this. The monk finally listened and came to a halt. Gingerly she pulled her arm away from him, which was now slightly sore from his strong grip,

"Thanks for that..." she grumbled rubbing it unnecessarily.

Bou-san looked to her for the first time since hauling her away,

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you," he managed. Ayako paused her rubbing to look back at him,

"That sounded sincere, you really are worked up, aren't you?"

"We need to tell Naru about this," Bou-san persisted, ignoring her sarcasm. Ayako nodded,

"Yeah, but you can't go in there looking like that," she said haughtily, and the next thing he knew she handed him a handkerchief from her robes and strode ahead. Bou-san watched her bemusedly as she passed into the base. He wiped his brow and followed after.

**4:15pm**

**The Motoshi residence**

Masako stared into her cold tea, the amber reflection thoughtful. Beside her John took his last rice cake, he was in the middle of asking Mrs. Motoshi why Nari had never sought work in a larger theater where her talent could be better appreciated? Masako looked up eagerly for the answer; they had been trying to get around to this question for an hour.

It turns out Mrs. Motoshi was about impossible to interview, every question asked was turned around and answered in rambles of her daughter's talent and beauty. It was like running in circles and, frankly, the medium was losing her patience. It was lucky John was there, his patience exceeded hers, he hardly seemed bothered that they had spent an hour with a star struck woman who couldn't answer a single question.

"Well..." Mrs. Motoshi began, seeming reluctant to answer a question that wasn't completely flattering to her daughter, "she doesn't want to, or at least-- she doesn't  _think_ she wants to," she added meaningfully.

Masako watched the woman in front of her steadily. She had never seen such shameless advertising in her life, and she was in the  _business_. It was obvious that Mrs. Motoshi wanted her daughter out of Nozomi and on to bigger things.

"But why? Does she doubt her talent?" John interjected. Mrs. Motoshi's eyes widened and shook her head,

"Oh no, nothing like that. My Nari has great confidence in herself, it's just..." Mrs. Motoshi trailed off.

Masako gazed at her carefully, was it just her or did the woman look embarrassed?

"Yes...?" John prodded gently.

"Well...it's Joji, she--" Mrs. Motoshi halted, her eyes suddenly glistening. She leaned forward and took Masako's hands, "Please,  _please-_ \- take her out of here. She doesn't know what's good for her." Masako was a bit surprised, but did not pull away from the woman's desperate grip,

"Mrs. Motoshi, what about Mr. Joji Sachi?" she persisted, her voice even. Mrs. Motoshi hung her head, and then slowly let go of the medium's hands. Settled back in her seat she fixed them with helpless gaze,

"She really isn't foolish by nature, honestly, but-- it's just she's so vulnerable when it comes to theater..." she began, still rambling on in half sentences. John intervened then before Masako could lose her patience,

"I'm sure your daughter is anything but foolish Mrs. Motoshi; please tell us what you find so hard to say."

Maybe it was the gentle way in which John spoke, or maybe it was because of his appeal to her daughter, but whatever the reason Mrs. Motoshi set her eyes on John and gave him a watery smile,

"You're too kind," she murmured, "I suppose I should start at the beginning?"

The medium and priest nodded encouragingly.

"Well as you know, Nari's always wanted to be an actress--  _always._ Her dreams came true the day she went to work for Joji. In her  _eight_ years there, Joji has always been playwright. The two have worked closely from the start, my Nari being the budding actress he needed to fuel his magnificent plays, but I suppose I should have seen it coming..." Mrs. Motoshi sighed and looked as though she might stop again, but she took in a deep breath and continued on,

"Nari fell in love. Joji was her day and night. I was happy for her, encouraged her at first, but I feared it might be one-sided. There were days in which she would come home bawling that he would never see her as anything but a friend, and then days where she would twirl around the room and exclaim that she just  _knew_ he loved her back. Things went on like this for some  _years_ , you can imagine my agony! My poor Nari! Meanwhile though she only became a better and better actress, and very soon his best. The two were inseparable. And then, just a few years ago, Joji began to cast himself in his plays, most often opposite Nari, as her  _love_  interest. Oh how excited my Nari was. She adored her plays more than ever, and worked late into the night. At the time, she seemed to never be apart from Joji, and I'm very sure she wasn't, I know  _I_ hardly saw her. I began having to go to her plays just to see her longer than five minutes at a time! But she was happy, she beamed, she radiated love..." Mrs. Motoshi grew distant, a slight smile on her face, lost in her memories. Masako sat her tea cup down rather hard, and Mrs. Motoshi jumped in her seat,

"Oh right," she began again, smiling lightly at them, "yes, she was happy and in love. And it went on this way for ages. Whispers began to get around that the two were a couple, that their chemistry on stage was just too good to be an act. I half believed it myself, and Nari-- well she relished in these rumors. It was then that Joji-- in so many words, began to date Nari. He began to take her out to dinner, bought her flowers, and hung on her every word. Their loved blossomed. Ah, the bliss I felt for my daughter! Watching her it was as if she floated across the stage, her lines were recited in the greatest of feeling. Yes, it was all going perfectly, what we had waited so long for was happening. And then new whispers started. Someone had seen Joji buying a ring, were the two engaged? Nari nearly fainted when she heard these rumors, I didn't think the smile she wore would ever leave her face. We spent weeks and months wondering and hoping, secretly planning the wedding amongst ourselves. And then the moment came-- the play had just ended, they were taking their bows, and then-- in front of the whole town, he dropped down on one knee..." Mrs. Motoshi halted, her eyes suddenly welling up with tears. Uncertainly, John offered her a handkerchief. The woman took it gratefully, dabbing at her eyes,

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. Masako and John shook their heads,

"No, take your time..." But neither of them meant it, they waited impatiently to hear what happened next. Finally Mrs. Motoshi was composed again. Something now replaced her sadness: bitterness.

"Well, as I said he dropped down on his knee," she started again, wringing the handkerchief on her lap, "and then the theater doors opened, and in  _she_  walked. Miss Toki Miyuki. With no courtesy at all, she lamely apologized for barging into the middle of something, she had thought Joji was free to speak to. That, that--  _awful_ woman. She ruined it! Joji was forced to excuse himself, the theater owner wanted to  _talk_ to him. Couldn't it have waited?!" the frustration in Mrs. Motoshi's voice gave way to sadness once again,

"My poor Nari, she pretended not to be devastated, she insisted that the proposal would come again, maybe even the next night? But Joji was busy the next night, and the next, and into the next week. It was Miss Miyuki, keeping Joji into the late hours of the night, demanding all kinds of odds and ends of paper work from the poor man. And what was worse, as the days slipped away, new rumors started: perhaps there would be no proposal at all? These rumors frightened me-- and left Nari in a fragile state. She went from being with him at every moment of everyday, to seeing him only a few days a week at rehearsals. And just like that, their would-be-engagement, their relationship, fell apart. That was six months ago, I'm afraid all my dear Nari is to him now, is an actress."

Silence settled over them. Mrs. Motoshi stared down at her lap, folding John's handkerchief with great concentration. Masako caught the priest's eye; he frowned slightly and then returned his gentle gaze on the troubled woman,

"Mrs. Motoshi, we're very sorry..."

Suddenly the woman looked up, a bright smile on her face,

"Oh no, please don't be. Now you know the reason for Nari being trapped here, a heart unable to heal. But that's where you come in isn't it? A new town, new people, a new theater...it would be just what she needs..." The suggestion hung plain in the air, neither Masako nor John wanting to touch it. Mrs. Motoshi held her smile, her expressive brown eyes searching theirs. Masako made a decision, she stood.

"Thank you very much for seeing us Mrs. Motoshi; it is my belief that your daughter is very talented. We look forward to watching her perform in the next days of our visit," the medium announced with a grateful incline of the head. John followed her lead, standing at her side, he murmured his thanks. Mrs. Motoshi seemed satisfied with this reply and saw them in good spirits to the door,

"No,  _thank you_. I'm so glad you came," she insisted, bowing deeply. Masako and John uttered their last goodbyes, then departed. Masako walked ahead at a quickened pace, her thoughts spilling over into one another.

"Masako?" John called, jogging to catch up.

"I understand now. That's why Nari seemed so fond of Joji and so jealous of his attentions to me...she's in love with him," she said thinking aloud.

"His attentions?" John interrupted with a raised eyebrow. Masako just sighed and waved a dismissive hand,

"It's nothing I can't handle." John nodded, but remained a bit confused.

"Let's get back to base, I have a feeling Naru will be interested in what we have to say," Masako suggested, making for the theater. John followed after, trying to keep up with the medium.

**5:00pm**

**The Miyuki Theater**

Naru sat back in his seat holding his chin thoughtfully, "A hall of mirrors..."

"Yes," Ayako said, a bit irritatedly, after having repeated herself for the tenth time. Bou-san sat down next to her and handed off a steaming cup of tea. The priestess took it gratefully, her nerves still rattled from their incident less than an hour ago. Bou-san leaned back and stared into space, two cups of tea, and he still couldn't seem to shake his anxiety.

"Could you take me there?" Naru asked, sitting forward in his seat, his dark eye's flicking from Ayako to Bou-san.

"Well, I don't think I could, with the way Takigawa-san carried--" Ayako halted and then began to choke on the sip of tea she just took. Bou-san took the liberty of administering a couple of hard pats to her back, all the while Ayako waving him off.

"I'm-- okay. It's just-- hot!" she protested, standing to get away from the monk. Naru watched this utterly unamused, getting back to the point, he fixed on Bou-san,

"Do  _you_  remember the way?"

From where he sat, the monk shifted uncomfortably, he looked down at his hands,

"I suppose..."

Naru stood, and with one glance at his assistant, Lin stood too,

"Show me."

Ayako plopped herself back onto the couch, the farthest from Bou-san that she could manage,

"Don't even ask, I'm not going," she said defiantly into her teacup.

Naru shot her a look,

"We weren't asking," he stated matter-a-factly.

Ayako sent him a glare of her own and huffed into her cup. Returning his attention to the matter at hand, and away from self-important mikos, Naru addressed the monk sitting before him,

"Takigawa-san, we'll follow after you."

Bou-san stood reluctantly, he really didn't feel like going back there right now, but he had no choice. Naru and Lin followed him down, across, and through many halls-- a few times they made a wrong turn and had to go back. Finally they reached the right part of the theater; Bou-san knew it by the sudden knot he got in his stomach.

"This is it..." Bou-san said, his voice quieter than he liked, but Naru paid his uneasiness no mind and strode a head of him, closely followed by Lin.

The young researcher stood before one of the antique mirrors, his pale hand reaching up and running across its smooth surface. He stared, still as stone, his eye's apparently unseeing. Lin stood by in respectful silence.

Bou-san watched Naru with begrudging curiosity. He did this on almost every case and it always struck the monk as odd, was it some kind of meditation, did it help him to think better? He certainly always had something strange to say whenever he finished. As if on cue, the head of SPR looked over his shoulder at Bou-san,

"These mirrors aren't original to this theater..." he stated, and as if to prove his point he moved one over to reveal the flawless wall behind it, "Usually there would be a blank spot here; with as old as these mirrors look, they've only been recently placed here."

Bou-san raised an eyebrow,

"How did you think to look...?"

Naru, and strangely Lin, gave him a stare that asked him not to press the matter, but Bou-san wanted to know. Determinedly he opened his mouth to ask again when another voice filled the hall instead--

"Naru!"

The three men turned to look up the hall. Moving towards them were John and Masako.

"Naru," the medium repeated, coming to stand before him.

"Hey," Bou-san greeted, "where have you been? We've needed you today you know..."

Masako sent the monk an apologetic look and continued to address Naru,

"We've learned something that might interest you about Nari Motoshi" she said importantly.

Naru narrowed his eyes,

"Tell me."

**5:30pm**

**The Koku Inn**

Mai opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, trying to remember what she had been dreaming. She sighed, she couldn't recall. Obviously it wasn't one of  _those_ dreams. That was okay with her though, she supposed-- one was enough that day. But did that dream really count?

What had she saw? It didn't seem like much to do with the case, and Naru...he was mysteriously missing from it. Maybe it had just  _felt_ like one of her psychic dreams? Maybe it had been nothing after all...

Someone slammed a door down the hall and Mai jumped. Clutching at her chest, she glared at her own door as if she could send her irritation down the hall to scold the person who had done it. Groggy, she sat up and glanced at the clock and then had to do a double take-- was it really already five?

She ran her hands through her hair and looked around, how could have so much time had past by? Did she really sleep that long? She had taken a shower after all, when she returned from leaving Niko, but that had been four hours ago. Had she really been so tired as to sleep that long? She frowned. Naru would be expecting her soon, maybe he already was?

Feeling no less irritated, Mai got out of bed as quickly as she could muster. In vain she tried to straighten her slept in clothes. In defeat she gave up and went to brush her bed head. Looking a bit fresher, Mai walked out of her room. She halted at the end of the hall, a thought suddenly coming to mind: Niko. She didn't want to see him right now.

Carefully she peeked around the corner...there was nobody. As quietly she could she walked the hall and then, approaching the dining room, in which dinner was in full swing, she rushed by-- through the lobby and out the front door, leaving a bewildered Mr. Koku to stare after her,

"WEIRD, JUST WEIRD," he grumbled to himself.

A safe distance from the Inn, Mai slowed down. In the last light of the day she could see that the flurry of activity around the festival grounds was simmering down as everyone made to go home after a long day of work.

They really had made quite some progress. Many stalls were set up, the stage seemed nearly complete, and strung across the whole width of the wide street, between stores and houses, strings of vibrant lilies. Mai blushed remembering her lie to Niko and hurried on.

She reached the theater and took its front steps two at a time before coming to a sharp stop. The sun's light had all but disappeared now and before her the two doors stood rather ominously. Mai closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them determinedly. She squared her shoulders and then burst right through.

Her plan worked-- sort of. In her sudden break through the doors, she had no chance to slow down and ended up colliding with the unfortunate Mr. Sachi who was standing near by.

"Ow!" he cried as the two went sprawling onto the floor. Mai's landing on the hard wood floor was softened mostly by her client. She flushed red and hurried to stand up,

"I'm-- so sorry..." she mumbled, helping the young playwright to his feet. Mr. Sachi stood and brushed himself off, on his face a kind smile,

"No harm done," he answered pleasantly. Mai didn't think him a particularly handsome man, but there was something appealing about his smile. Timidly she smiled back,

"Well, if you're sure..." Mai looked down the hall to her left, "I was just heading to base," she explained. Mr. Sachi smiled wider,

"Wonderful. I was just headed there myself, I'll join you."

Mai nodded in agreement and the two went forward in comfortable silence, Mai stealing looks at the playwright every now and then. It was odd. There was something about him, something even her intuition couldn't clear up.

"Ladies first..."

They had reached the door, and like a gentlemen Mr. Sachi stood to the side and opened it for her. She managed to send him a brief appreciative smile before stepping into the room and having her smile erased completely. It was utterly silent, not even Lin was typing. Mai recognized the fakeness of it instantly and had the unsettling feeling that she or Mr. Sachi had been talked about just moments before they entered the room.

The playwright behind her didn't notice though, and immediately his eyes fell on a radiant Masako. The medium sat rather stiffly on a couch across from Naru and there was something a bit forbidding in her air. Instead of filled with false modesty like earlier, her blue eyes met Mr. Sachi's with emptiness that even surprised Mai.

This went the same for everyone else it seemed. Ayako and Bou-san hardly looked up to greet them, Lin didn't look away from his computer screen, and Naru only looked up because he had too, and even then his stare sent chills down Mai's back. Only John, who stood at a small counter in the corner of the room, seemed pleased to see them and hurried forward with two cups of steaming tea.

" _Thank you,_ " Mai said rather loudly, upon being handed her cup by John. For good measure she sent her own glare around the room, challenging everyone to say why she was being greeted so coldly. There were no takers.

With a frown Mai found a seat in between Ayako and Bou-san (whom she  _accidentally_ jabbed in the side as she sat down...) and John pulled up a chair for Mr. Sachi who sat down uncertainly-- he obviously hadn't intended to stay for very long.

"Wow, you wouldn't even know it was Nari's powder room with what you've done to it. Everything set up okay?" Mr. Sachi said, breaking the heavy silence. For some odd reason, the mention of Nari seemed to only turn the rest of Mai's SPR team members more sour.

"Mr. Sachi, I'd like to ask you a few questions," Naru began, ignoring the man's first statement.

The playwright sat back in his seat,

"Ask away."

Mai glanced at Lin; his fingers were posed to transcribe the conversation.

"I happened to interview Miss Toki Miyuki this morning, she claims this whole haunting is some desperate attempt to keep this theater open," Naru announced, fixing Mr. Sachi with a penetrating gaze.

Mr. Sachi scoffed,

"But of course she said that, and I'm sure there were more lies where that came from, but to be clear: no, this is  _not_  some desperate last attempt to keep this theater open."

There were a few moments of Naru just staring; Mai could tell he was reluctant to buy this answer, though she didn't know  _why_...

"She say's you convinced the town that the spirit of Mr. Miyuki is haunting this theater, and in doing so forced her to make a deal with you--"

Mr. Sachi slammed down his cup of tea,

"Outrageous!" he exclaimed, "It has  _always_ been believed that Mr. Miyuki's presence resides here, I did absolutely  _no_ convincing!"

Mr. Sachi took a deep breath to calm himself, and then, just to be safe, a sip of tea. His dramatic outburst still ringing in Mai's ears, he continued softer this time,

"Believe me Shibuya-san, I'm the last person in this world who would want to say Mr. Miyuki's spirit is  _haunting_ anything, let alone his own theater--"

Naru cut him off this time,

"Miss Miyuki told me you knew her father, that you two were very close. He appointed you playwright of this theater personally. I could understand how you would go to extremes..."

Mr. Sachi shook his head,

"No, it's not like that. Yes, I knew Mr. Miyuki. Yes, he and I were close. Yes, he appointed me playwright. But that just proves my point further; I respect him too much to drag his name through the mud. To say I would say that he haunts his own theater, terrorizing his own precious actors-- the nerve!"

"She says you've made a deal, that by the end of this festival, if you can't prove the existence of Mr. Miyuki's ghost, she'll be allowed to close down this theater without any resistance--"

" _Exactly_! Don't you see? That's why I've called upon you!"

"But you just said that you would never claim that Mr. Miyuki was haunting anything, so how can he be here at all? Which is it Mr. Sachi? Is he haunting this place or not?" Naru's voice had grown so deathly soft, so calm, that Mai shrank back in her seat. Mr. Sachi seemed to be feeling it too; his face had grown red and flustered,

"You're getting it wrong. I said that I would never  _want_ to be the one to say Mr. Miyuki was haunting anything. In all the years after his death it has been the belief of the entire town that Mr. Miyuki's presence still lingers in his first theater. This presence has always been seen as peaceful though, even auspicious. When he died, some of his other theaters took it hard, but we felt no ill effects-- in fact we only got more business! We believed it was him here that made us so prosperous and still did until six months ago when Miss Miyuki announced her intentions of closing the theater down."

"And now you don't?"

Mr. Sachi sighed and picked his teacup back up,

"It's not as plain as that, at least not for me anyways. The very night Miss Miyuki announced her intentions for the theater, there was an electrical fire. We were holding a rare evening play and one of the stage lights we hardly ever use caught fire. We were fortunate it was put out quickly, but it still ruined the whole production. Believe it or not, it was the first accident the theater has ever had."

Naru narrowed his eyes in thought,

"Ever?"

Mr. Sachi took a long drink from his cup, finishing his tea, he nodded solemnly,

"Yes, and there were more accidents to follow. At first it was just little things, something would be moved, or turn up missing, but then, things began to be found broken, scripts were found shredded. And then, even worse, rooms started being destroyed, Nari's powder room being one of them. Finally, worst of all, the actors themselves started becoming injured. Since that day six months ago I've had two actors break their leg, one break an arm after falling out of a strangely damaged stage set, five just up and lose their voice- not to mention that I've had to cancel more than three plays because almost the whole cast came down sick on opening night."

Naru eyed the playwright in front of him steadily, still skeptical,

"Have you ever considered back luck?"

Mr. Sachi set his teacup down, and his eyes traveled until they found the only window in the room,

"Of course I thought of it, in fact that's what I blamed it on, but bad things just kept happening over and over. Things we couldn't explain. Meanwhile Miss Miyuki went on with her plans and announced she was set on closing the theater the day after the festival. I thought long and hard about our once peaceful theater and began to put two and two together. When did Miss Miyuki announce her intentions? Six months ago. When did things start to happen? Six months ago."

"So you began to suspect Mr. Miyuki's spirit?" Naru pressed as the playwright's answers seemed to be going in circles. Mr. Sachi looked away from the window, his expression tired,

"In so many words. It was horrible for me to even think about, our kind Mr. Miyuki  _haunting_ our theater--"

"But people can change. Just because they were a good person in life, doesn't mean they have to be in death," Bou-san spoke up from beside Mai, "I've seen it before."

Just then Mai felt something, a jolt from deep inside her,

_No,_  she thought,  _he hasn't changed. He's still a good man_.

She was so overcome with this knowing it made it hard to listen to the rest of what Mr. Sachi said without protesting. Mai bit her lip and sat fighting herself,

_Why do I feel this way?_

Naru's eyes, which had remained focused only on Mr. Sachi, landed briefly on Mai,

"Something wrong?" he asked, his gaze now boring down on her. Mai was taken by surprise,

_How does he always when know something's wrong?_

She managed a semi-convincing,

"No. Nothing."

Naru held his gaze on her a moment longer than she liked, but finally turned back to Mr. Sachi,

"So you believe that Mr. Miyuki is haunting this theater after all, and you blame Miss Miyuki, is that correct?"

A small relieved smile graced Mr. Sachi's lips,

"Yes-- and now the festival starts tomorrow. I know Mr. Miyuki is here, doing all this. I need you to prove it."

"So that the theater won't close down? That is how it works, or at least that's how Miss Miyuki explained it to me. You prove there's a ghost and she'll move on. Mr. Sachi it is quite obvious that she doesn't believe there is anything haunting the theater, or she wouldn't make such a deal. I'm not sure I believe you either."

Mai flinched and looked around to the others. Masako looked more subdued than earlier, maybe she felt bad for the man after all? John next to her also looked as if something was bothering him. Ayako sitting next to Mai looked thoughtful and Bou-san on her other side looked as though he might believe Mr. Sachi. Lin sat alone of course, still facing his computer screen, still posed to type. Mr. Sachi sighed,

"I understand why you're so reluctant to believe me," he began, despair coming over his features, "but two actors left me just a week ago, and another left this evening. They're too afraid to come here any longer. The ones I still have can hardly concentrate on their work and here we have the biggest plays of the year coming up, I just--  _please_.  _Please,_ give me the benefit of the doubt, my whole career, my whole  _life_ , is riding on this. I'm not lying. There is a ghost here, as you'll find out. Just five days, just through the festival, that's all I ask. And if you can turn up nothing, if you still don't believe by then, then you may go, I won't bother you a moment more."

"You'll accept the theater closing?" Naru persisted.

"I'll help them nail it shut," Mr. Sachi declared.

Naru nodded,

"Very well then Mr. Sachi, we'll investigate your theater."

Mr. Sachi stood and gave a great bow,

"Thank you," he replied, a grateful smile lighting his face. Mai couldn't help but smile too. Mr. Sachi was a man who looked best when happy.

"Well, I'm glad we had this talk, but look at the time! Masako, might I escort you back?" the playwright wondered, holding the door open.

Mai glanced at the medium; she didn't think stone could be any stiffer. John, sitting beside her, looked confusedly between them. Mai was sure he had the same question in mind as she had earlier;  _did he just call her Masako?_ Mai moved her gaze to Ayako who was turning red from not laughing and at Bou-san who was smiling amusedly; he had been there with her earlier.

"Well  _Masako_?" Naru spoke up, "Mr. Sachi asked you a question."

Mai nearly fell off the couch, all the amusement drained from her face,

_Masako? Did Naru just call her Masako?!_

To her right Ayako's mouth fell open and to her left Bou-san's eyes widened. Across from her John's brow furrowed in even more confusion. Even Lin turned around in his seat (though any change in his expression was undetectable...), but Masako's reaction was the worst of all, she practically flushed red to the roots of her hair and her sleeve did very little hide it.

Mai herself was now red as well, red from the anger bubbling up inside. A heavy hand rested itself on her shoulder; Bou-san sent her an apologetic look that she wanted to wipe off his face.

Mr. Sachi, missing all the small details, held out his arm, "Shall we?"

Masako finally stood, but slowly, with a certain weakness in her legs and a sparkle in her blue eyes, which never removed themselves from Naru. Before she let Mr. Sachi lead her out, she paused at the door to say,

"Goodnight...Naru."

And just like that she was gone and in her place the inky darkness of the hall, much like the inky darkness that was invading Mai's heart. Mai at that point was happy for Bou-san's hand on her shoulder, she was afraid it was the only keeping her from chasing the medium down and letting her have a piece of her mind. Ayako, having closed her mouth, chose to stand then.

"Well this really has been quite a night," she said sending a cheap wink to Mai who wriggled under Bou-san's grip, "but I must be getting to the Inn." And with that she left too.

Lin turned back around in his seat and began typing again. Naru crossed over to the window, staring out into the night.

"Thank you, John, Bou-san. You've been a great help today," he said. John nodded and stood. Bou-san was more reluctant to do so, but a third jab from Mai to the ribs provided the proper motivation.

Breaking free of his grasp she rubbed her shoulder unnecessarily. Bou-san merely ignored her implicating looks. A heavy silence filled the air. John and Bou-san stood ready to go, but Mai remained seated, staring at the back of Naru's head. Wasn't he going to say something,  _anything...?_

Bou-san gave her a shrug and held out a hand for her to take. Feeling dejected, Mai let him pull her to her feet and guide her to the door, following after John.

"Mai--"

Naru's voice cut the air like electricity. Mai froze and Bou-san bumped into her. There was a brief pause, Mai's ears hurt from the strain she put into them, aching to hear his next words,

"Sleep well..." 


	4. In Which: Mai Is Married

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my favorite chapters... it's where the story really kicks off-- we finally get into the mystery! And jealous!Naru is always fun, right? Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!

**Day Three**

**6:15am**

**The Koku Inn**

Mai lay still in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She had been up for at least fifteen minutes, debating with herself. After being guided back to the Inn by Bou-san and John, she had sunk into her lumpy mattress like a stone. She had a strange feeling in her stomach.  _Masako_. He had called her  _Masako_.

Mai closed her eyes with a frown.  _S_ _leep well,_  he had told her. But the trouble was she hadn't. She hardly slept the whole night. Not one dream found her as she tossed and turned. All she saw when closing her eyes was darkness. It was all she saw now. With a frustrated groan Mai opened her eyes.

She needed to see him. Even if he annoyed her (which was likely...). Last night left her feeling too weird, she needed to do some damage control. So with a fiery resolve burning inside, she jumped into the shower, dressed, and made a b-line for his door.

Mai passed out of her room and glance down the hall...all around was silence, not even the cry of a fussy baby. Mai knew now why this was. The dining room had been opened at six, and as she and Bou-san found out, stragglers were punished on penalty of  _cold rice_. Mai shivered at the thought and made a mental note not to keep Naru long. She smiled; maybe they could even walk to the dining room together?

A few steps away, room  _thirteen_ loomed. Mai took a deep breath, and closed the distance. She drew herself up, reached for the door, counted to ten...then recounted as she somehow lost track...Mai was suddenly struck with how stupid she must look, hovering outside Naru's door, her hand moving towards and away from knocking.

 _Just knock already!_  Mai scolded herself.

How many times had she burst into Naru's office? Without even knocking? This was no different. Not that she would go bursting into his  _room..._ but that was getting off point!

With a surge of energy, before she could stop herself-- Mai knocked, and then stared. Her knocking had come out rather more like  _pounding_. Horrified at how loud she had just been in the silence, certain that she could have woken the dead-- Mai shrunk back to the wall behind her and cast guilty looks up and down the hall. More silence...and no angry Naru answering his door. Mai began to breathe again. She must have missed him, there was no way he could have ignored her  _knocking_.

Mai hung her head and sighed. So much for walking to the dining room with him, let alone talking to him. She would have to try again later when they could be alone. With heavy steps, Mai made her way towards the dining room. The way she felt, she didn't care if she had to have cold rice again for breakfast. Her stomach flopped. Well, she  _almost_  didn't care...

But Mai needn't have worried about cold rice. Entering the dining room she caught sight of Ayako and Masako seated at a table that dominated the room, an icy silence settled between the two. Mai smirked slightly, the two had never really gotten along, at least she wasn't the only one having a bad morning. How did they get stuck  _alone_  together anyway-- not even Mr. Sachi was present, and he was  _always_  glued to Masako's side. A bit confused, Mai found a seat in between the medium and miko.

"Good morning," she greeted, rather brighter than she felt.

Ayako mumbled a sort of greeting back, but Masako didn't even attempt that, she simply drank her tea. The blood rose in Mai's cheeks. It wasn't that the medium had snubbed her, but she could afford a  _little_  courtesy after having such a  _pleasant_  night as she had last night.

Out of habit, she vainly reached for a distraction from her anger, a tea cup, but there was none for her. Just then Mrs. Koku bustled in with an order-- her old sharp eyes caught Mai's, and she froze. Mai was a bit startled, but recovered and held up Ayako's tea cup to signal that she wished for some tea. The woman sat down the tray she was serving and hurried away back to the kitchen. Mai lowered Ayako's cup slowly, surprised by the woman's prompt service, they hadn't exactly got off on the right foot...

"That's mine," Ayako snapped, snatching up her cup.

"Excuse  _me,_ " Mai grumbled back.

Then she glanced at Masako-- another habit. The medium was not watching the exchange with amusement, but staring dreamily at the dining room doors, as if lost in thought. Mai shifted in her seat, a bit unsettled by how oblivious her rival was to their surroundings. Mai narrowed her eyes: Masako  _knew_ something...or she was thinking of last night. A thought struck her,

"Hey, where is everyone? Bou-san, John?" she wondered, watching the doors to the kitchen for Mrs. Koku with her tea, leaving Naru out of her inquiry on purpose.

Ayako shrugged,

"Where are  _any_  of the men?"

Mai blinked and looked around. It was a good question, there seemed to be none in the dining room this morning. She turned back confusedly to the priestess, but Masako spoke then,

"They are in a meeting with Mr. Koku. Today is the start of the festival."

The medium answered with so much cool authority, as if reciting  _privileged_ information, as though she were Naru herself, that Mai felt the flames of her anger rise again. Beside her Ayako didn't seem to appreciate her tone much either,

"Well all knowing one, what is this meeting  _for_?" the priestess asked, a challenging gleam in her eye.

Masako glanced at them both, then turned in her seat to face the door again saying,

"Oh, I don't know...something or other."

Mai went from mildly glaring at Masako (grudgingly curious for her answer) to burning the medium down with her fiery gaze. Ayako next to her, after promptly closing her shocked mouth at the obvious snub, sent her a set of lethal daggers. Most infuriating of all, Masako hardly seemed to notice.

With all of this, it's easy to see how Mai missed Mrs. Koku returning with her tea. A steaming cup was set in front of Mai and she was then forced to stop glaring at Masako to thank the old woman (even though it had taken an awfully long time to bring out just a cup of tea...), but her thanks died on her lips. Standing behind Mrs. Koku, and still more flowing out of the kitchen, were the Inn's cooks, and in each of their hands, a large tray of delicious smelling food.

Mai's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. Mrs. Koku just stood there,  _smiling_. Suddenly she gave a curt clap and before anyone could protest, nearby tables were being pushed to line up with the one they sat at. It all happened so fast-- the cooks that had gathered began setting all of their many trays on the joined tables; an empty bowl was placed before Mai. Mrs. Koku clapped again, all the men bowed, then left as quickly as they came.

There was a large silence in the dining room as every person stared amazed at the spectacle whirling around Mai. Then, most stunning of all, Mrs. Koku bowed herself, her smile breaking into a wide grin as she announced for all to hear (and probably those in the next town heard too),

"NIKO KOKU SENDS HIS COMPLIMENTS MISS TANIYAMA, ENJOY."

And with that she hobbled away, chuckling to herself. When the kitchen door finally swung shut behind the old woman, the silence broke and every table in the room was alive and buzzing with whispers.

Mai sat behind a mountain of food, pulling a very good impression of Masako last night after Naru had called her by her first name. She felt Ayako and Masako's gazes boring through her, but she simply kept staring into her empty bowl. Before they could make her speak, she stuffed her mouth with rice. Still keeping her head down, Mai pushed two empty bowls towards them,

"Hungry?" she asked when she could finally manage it (she may have taken an over zealous bite...). Ayako watched her with a raised eyebrow,

"Something you want to tell us?" she prodded.

On her other side, Masako stared with equal parts loathing and curiosity. Mai smiled slightly to herself, then shrugged,

"Oh, I don't know...there might be something or other."

While in the silence of Ayako turning her daggers on Mai, and Masako glaring at her indignantly, a bit of conversation from the next table over floated to her ears,

_"-_ _w_ _hat a surprise..."_

_"Yes, I know. This is the Festival of Lilies, is it not?"_

_"Not very festive if you ask me, why do you think they removed them?"_

_"Beats me..."_

Mai glanced at the tables around her, there were no lilies placed anywhere. Niko. He was the reason for all of this. Mai flushed red again.

_Why did I have to lie about the lilies?_

"Something wrong, you're going a bit red there," Ayako remarked, watching her critically.

Mai sent the priestess a sharp look, but any retort she was about fire back at the miko was defused by the dining room's double doors swinging open. Like a black cloud on the horizon, in stalked Naru- followed by Lin, Bou-san, and John. It took only the briefest of moments for them to spot their table, placed in the center of the room, the food piled there acting like a beacon. Mai shrank in her seat and beside her Masako all but swept out of her own to greet Naru,

"You're back," she smiled, "please have a seat, you must be hungry."

The group came to a halt at the table, Bou-san staring on with wide eyes,

"Obviously not as hungry as you are..." he murmured.

Masako's laugh came out light and airy, and gesturing to her rival, she declared,

"You're too funny Takigawa-san, but of course  _I_  would never order so much food. Perhaps the one you should be asking is Mai?"

Many pairs of eyes turned on the accused. Mai's cheeks began to burn red, and if she could have reached the medium's foot, she would have  _accidentally_ stomped on it.

"Me?" she said, fixing Masako with a dark look, "I have no idea how this got here,  _I_  certainly didn't order this."

Naru who was standing there silently, his gaze traveling over the many plates, finally spoke,

"I hope not," he interjected, taking a seat next to Mai, "SPR is paying for these meals, and I believe you owe SPR enough money..."

The young woman did not miss his implication, and in order to stop herself from saying something she would later regret, she grabbed for her teacup. Meanwhile, Bou-san helped himself to a seat and a plate on the other side of Mai,

"Well, it's one thing if you don't know how it got here, but it's another if you're going to let it get cold, and I for one am  _not_ about to let it get cold," he announced, taking his first bite. John and Lin took seats at the table soon after, the priest staring bewildered at the mountain of food in front of him and his small plate.

Across the room, the double doors suddenly opened again. Mai, busy glaring at Masako who sat making eyes at Naru, didn't notice the new arrival until it was too late. A shadow fell over Mai. Masako lifted her gaze from Naru to stare behind her rival and Mai quickly broke her glare from the medium to see what had caught her attention.

"Good morning Mai," a voice greeted. Startled, Mai turned in her seat to face Niko. Bou-san, sitting beside her, paused his continuous consumption of food to acknowledge the young man,

"Hey, you're Niko Koku, from yesterday."

Mai's foot blindly sought out Bou-san's foot, looking to stomp on it before he said too much,

"You remember him, don't you Mai?"

Realizing what she was doing, Bou-san narrowed his eyes at her and moved his legs away,

" _Oh-- I see, someone's feeling guilty after all..."_  he intoned.

Mai smiled strainedly at Niko while trying to ignore Bou-san's comment,

"Of course I remember him," she declared. Niko laughed good-naturedly and Mai couldn't help but notice that it was a very nice laugh,

"I should hope she remembers me, we had lunch together just yesterday."

Bou-san's eyebrows shot up and he fixed Mai with an inquiring look,

"You don't say..."

"Mai, do introduce us to your friend," Masako spoke up, her face the picture of innocent curiosity. Between Bou-san and now Masako, Mai's face only began to grow deeper and deeper red.

"Oh my, what a blush, perhaps there's something more between you...?" Masako chided, her sleeve coming to her rescue, as she couldn't hold back a devious smile at her own cunning. Mai felt she was going to burst-- her foot shot out randomly, hoping to make contact with her rival's foot.

"Ow!" John cried looking around, alarmed. Mai shrank in her seat and proceeded to turn scarlet.  

"Well?" Ayako prodded when she didn't oblige. Mai narrowed her eyes at the priestess and now wished she had hit  _her_  foot.

"Allow me," Bou-san offered, hardly able to keep his amusement from coming through, "This is Niko Koku, grandson to the owner of this Koku Inn. We only met him yesterday morning, but apparently Mai has caught up with him again..."

Hopelessly Mai looked to Niko, expecting some look of shock on his face at the suggestions that Masako and Bou-san left hanging, but the young man just stood smiling all around at them.

"Mai, you have such nice friends," he said, turning his smile down at her. Mai couldn't help but notice that his eyes did this twinkling thing when he looked at her; helplessly she turned a few shades redder.

"Thank you...Koku-san," she managed. A look of surprise crossed Niko's face,

"Please, call me Niko," he insisted, his own cheeks turning a light shade of pink. Mai now wished the floor would open up and swallow her.

"Mr. Koku, will you inherit your grandparents Inn?"

Naru's voice cut the tension like a blast of fresh air. His cool voice returned Mai to her senses, all the red leaving her cheeks. Suddenly her chest opened up, she could breath again-- he had successfully taken the attention off of her.

Niko looked to Naru as if seeing him for the first time,

"Oh. Yes. Yes I will," he answered, a smile attempting to resurface again, but Niko noted that there was something distinctly unfriendly in the man's eyes, and with the way he sat, leaning towards Mai, almost dominantly, that he couldn't quite manage a smile again.

Mai looked over her shoulder at Naru; he had indeed shifted in his seat, leaning so close to her that she could smell the aroma of tea that always surrounded him. Masako didn't miss this either, her triumphant expression faltered. Mai felt her cheeks warming up again. After a tense moment of silence though, Naru relented, and moved away from Mai, feigning interest in his rice bowl,

"I see," he finally replied. Mai watched her boss carefully, she knew the look on his face. He was thinking of something, something was troubling him...

"Mai..."

It's was Niko's voice that drew Mai out of her thoughts, she looked up at the young man before her with a cheerful smile (a cheer she was hardly feeling...),

"Oh yes, Koku-san? I mean-- Niko?" she answered, cringing as she stumbled over his name. His face fell then brightened as she corrected herself,

"I must be leaving now; there is much to be done on this first day of the festival. I hope you are enjoying your breakfast, if you need anything at all--"

Bou-san, shamelessly finishing his second bowl, chimed in then,

"Did  _you_ order this?" he wondered, absently filing a third bowl while looking up at Niko.

Niko looked surprised, and then his face clouded, distractedly he stole a glance at the kitchen doors, "Didn't-- weren't you told so?"

Masako, watching the morning's events unfold with delight, was happy to put the young man at ease,

"We were, and I must say it was very generous of you to provide Mai with such a meal," the medium announced, a radiant smile illuminating her features.

Her ears now ringing with anger at her rival, Mai pretended to drop her napkin under the table, then she would scope out the whereabouts of Masako's foot...but quicker than a flash Niko had bent down, picked up Mai's fallen napkin, and gently returned it to the table,

"Here you are," he spoke softly.

Cheated out of her revenge, Mai's smile at his gallant act was forced,

"Thank you," she managed.

"So, it was you who ordered this food...for Mai," Naru spoke, bringing the conversation back on track. Niko blinked, looking a bit distressed at having to answer the same question again and again,

"Yes, it was me. I thought she'd enjoy a nice breakfast. It is nice, isn't it? You do like it, don't you?"

Mai shifted in her seat, feeling slightly uncomfortable, but Niko stared down at her with such a concerned expression, that she couldn't help but feel sorry for him and in turn gave him a warm smile,

"Yes, it's very nice, thank you," she answered with as much composure as she could muster. It was in this moment that her gaze broke off from Niko and those at her table; it was in this moment that she noticed was she was the center of attention again.

The whole room was in a hush as every person sat at the edge of their seats, straining to listen, hardly bothering in pretending to eat their food, which was now long since cold. Mai gave them a hard look and guilty they turned back to their tables, a few taking hurried mouthfuls of their spoiled food. Mai watched their faces pale and smiled,

 _Good. Cold rice is what you deserve_.

Just then a loud voice shouted through the silence,

"NIKO!"

Startled, Mai jumped in her seat. The voice came from the hall outside the dinging room and was presumably Niko's grandfather. Recovering, the young man looked down at Mai and smiled a bit embarrassedly,

"My grandfather seems to need me; will I see you at the festival tonight?"

Mai stared into his imploring eyes and opened and closed her mouth a few times, she wasn't sure... _would_  she be there?

"I'm sure you will, we'll all be attending," Masako answered, speaking for her rival with her usual charm. Niko smiled and nodded, seeming satisfied with this answer,

"Great, until then," he said, and with a meaningful bow to Mai, departed the room.

Mai sat in her chair wishing she had never left her bed that morning. It was silent for a few moments longer, and then it was as if someone turned on the sound, every table in the room was suddenly alive with chatter-- miserably, Mai couldn't help hearing bits and a pieces,

"... _I heard that he likes her..._ "

" _Oh please,_ _more like_ _he's_ _madly in love-_ _-"_

" _Well shouldn't he love her? I heard they've been dating for weeks..."_

" _That's not what I heard...I heard he's planning to propose, he's got the ring and everything!_ "

" _Well you're all mistaken, they're already engaged-_ -"

" _Engaged? I heard from a very reliable source that they've already married...in secret of course..."_

" _Oh, oooh, how romantic!--"_

Mai suddenly stood, and in her haste nearly upset the table. Bou-san shot her a patronizing look as she nearly ruined his feast, but Mai hardly noticed. Her face felt hot, the room was closing in, she needed-- air!

"Ex-excuse me--" she mumbled, already leaving the table. But before Mai could make her quick escape, the dreaded double doors swung open again.

"Mai!"

Joji Sachi's dramatic voice filled the room, drowning out all the horrible pieces of gossip that were being whispered quite loudly. Mai was never so happy to see the playwright in all her life, and accepted his friendly pat on the shoulder quite willingly,

"So good to see you," he smiled, spying their table over her shoulder, his eyes instantly finding Masako,

"You weren't going anywhere were you?" he persisted, turning his bright eyes back on Mai. Mai spent only a moment debating an answer, a new smile spreading out across her face,

"No, not all. I was just stretching my legs, please join us...Masako has saved you a seat."

"Ah! Very good," Joji chirped with one last thankful pat to her shoulder as he made his way toward Masako. Mai followed behind him, not bothering to hide her grin. Her revenge would be swift and sweet. The medium's own smile began to fade as Mr. Sachi came upon her,

"Good morning Masako," he greeted, seating himself cozily beside her. The medium locked gazes with Mai, her eyes daring her to say one word...but Mai would not be intimidated, her turn had come,

"We're so glad you could make it Mr. Sachi, please, help yourself," Mai encouraged, feeling the weight of her rival's stare and smiling all the wider.

"Oh!" Mr. Sachi said, seeming to notice the food for the first time,

"My, what do we have here? Hungry today are we?" he joked, looking to Masako for her laugh. The medium obliged, but just barely.

"Just Mai," Masako answered after the polite laughter faded, none at the table missed the implication, and Mai felt her cheeks burning hot again.

 _That Masako!_  Mai thought, narrowing her eyes at the medium sitting across from her. Then a scheme struck her, and resuming a light laughter, Mai looked to Mr. Sachi who sat pleasantly drinking his tea,

"Yes, I'm afraid I  _was_  a little hungry this morning," she admitted, "You must have been surprised to see this much food when you came in," she remarked carefully.

Masako's gaze returned to her rival with a forbidding heaviness, she knew Mai was going somewhere with this, but was helpless to stop it. Mr. Sachi looked up from his tea,

"Come to think of it, I didn't notice at all..." he answered as absently he found his gaze drifting over to Masako.

Mai smirked,  _just_  was she was going for,

"Well I guess there are other  _distracting_  things in the room," she continued, emphasizing the word  _distracting_ while meeting her rival's gaze.

"Yes, distracting..." Mr. Sachi murmured, his eyes focused solely on the medium. Masako's porcelain cheeks began to show color, her eyes flashed at Mai, betraying her serene exterior.

"Mr. Sachi," Naru spoke, ignoring the war being fought in front of him, "we are here to investigate your theater, correct?"

Mr. Sachi broke his gaze from Masako and stared at Naru as if he had just declared the theater on fire,

"Correct. Correct, that's why your here, we agreed last night that--" Naru held up a hand to the man's ramblings,

"Mr. Sachi, I am not suggesting that we are pulling out, but since we are here to investigate, isn't that just what we should do?"

Mr. Sachi stared at Naru as if he had just been asked to solve a difficult equation,

"I'm-- I'm afraid I'm not following..." he answered unsteadily, nervous that he was going to say something that would make the paranormal team leave.

Naru did not sigh and his expression did not change, but Mai could tell his patience was being tested (and she knew this because she was guilty of testing her boss's patience regularly...),

"I'm talking about the festival. I was called from my room at five-thirty this morning to attend a meeting discussing the customs and rituals I must perform. I understand the significance of this festival, but are we here to investigate, or not Mr. Sachi?"

Mr. Sachi raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth in protest,

"Please, do not look at me; I did not pull you from your bed this morning. You  _are_ here to investigate. I'm sorry Mr. Koku dragged you into this, but it  _is_  traditional that all men in the town of Nozomi at this time participate..."

"So you wish us to take part in the festival, and not investigate?"

"I wish you to investigate--"

"So you wish us to investigate then, instead of take part in the festival?"

" _No_ ," Mr. Sachi protested, a bit louder than he had meant to, as tables around them hushed and stared,

"I mean, no," he repeated, quieter this time, "I wish you to investigate  _and_ partake in the festival. Is that so hard, can't you do both?"

There was an edge to Mr. Sachi's voice that Mai had never heard there. All the times before, when faced with difficulty, he had turned weepy and pleading, but this time he bit back. Mai found it strangely unnerving and looked to Naru to see how he would react.

Both men sat there regarding each other, Naru the picture of calm and Mr. Sachi the picture of frustration. Slowly, Mr. Sachi's breathing regulated and the red that had flushed his cheeks began to ebb away, the man straightened his tie and cleared his throat, realizing that he might have made a scene,

"I'm sorry," he said, though he hardly sounded it, "I mean to know only if you can manage both. The festival is held for the most part at night and it would be seen as quite positive by Nozomi's people if you did."

Naru's cool eyes met Mr. Sachi's,

"You mean so that they will believe you and us if we announce that there is a ghost," Naru clarified.

Mr. Sachi shifted uncomfortably in his seat,

"Yes. The people are terribly suspicious here; any bad marks and they will deny anything you say. You could bring them the ghost, and if you've offended them, they will look right at it and pretend it's nothing there,  _please..._ " Mr. Sachi was back to his pleading. Mai didn't know why, but she was relieved. Moments passed as Naru sat in his seat, his face expressionless. Finally, to the mercy of Mr. Sachi, he nodded,

"Fine, we will participate. If it takes time from the investigation, it will be at your cost," Naru announced, fixing Mr. Sachi with a penetrating stare.

For a moment the playwright looked as if he wanted to protest, he had not planned on a compromise, but instead he swallowed and nodded, there would be no arguing with Naru over this point.

The tension at the table began to dissipate after that, Mr. Sachi returned to drinking his tea, sending a few smiles to Masako. Mai looked over at her rival, but it was not to gloat, she had lost her desire to fight for the moment, and a silent truce was declared.

A small rumble came from Mai's stomach, and realizing that she had not eaten yet at all, she reached for her bowl. Cold rice stared up at her and Mai frowned. Setting down her bowl again she reached for one of the larger bowls of food, looking to add to the unappetizing rice, but when she lifted it, she felt it was quite light. Mai peered over the edge and stared into the nothingness. Empty. Undeterred, Mai reached for the next bowl, and the next, and the next. Empty. Empty. Empty.

Growing agitated, Mai looked beside her at Naru-- one bowl and his wasn't even halfway finished. Then she glanced at Masako, she also had only one. So  _they_  weren't guilty of eating all the food...Mai's gaze wandered over to Ayako-- two bowls, although it looked as if she had wanted it to appear to be just one as the second was pushed some inches away...Mai shook her head and moved on to John, who sat there still picking at his one plate.

With a growing suspicion Mai's eyes slid over to the monk seated beside her. Bou-san sat back in his chair, looking awfully content, and in front of him-- a small tower of bowls. Enraged, Mai opened her mouth to chew him out when she caught sight of Lin across the table. You would never know any different as he sat there stirring his tea, checking his watch, exchanging glances with Naru...but pushed just off to the side, where there was an empty space for one more guest, a tower of bowls even bigger than Bou-san's. Mai's jaw fell open.

"Mai, is that any way to act like a lady? Close your mouth," Bou-san admonished, stifling a belch as he said this. Mai recovered from her shock, and taking the unsuspecting monk by surprise, stepped on his foot.

"Ow!" Bou-san cried, bumping his knee in the process of sitting forward to grab his foot. Mai just smirked into her tea, but it was cold and then her stomach growled more loudly and somehow she didn't feel all that victorious.

"Time to continue our investigation," Naru said as he stood up, immediately followed by his assistant. Mr. Sachi stood also, a winning smile gracing his features,

"Very good, I'll follow you out."

Masako stood up from her chair and the playwright took her elbow ever so gently, guiding her from the table and past the other ones in the room. Mai stood and followed after them, noting her rival's irritation with amusement. Slipping past many of the tables, Mai soon found herself assaulted with gossip again, although this time...

" _..._ _g_ _oodness me, did you see that? Look at the way he's holding her elbow, so possessive..."_

".... _Joji Sachi I believe, wasn't he engaged not too long ago?_ "

_"Yes, I remember. That Nari girl, such a shame..."_

_"My, hasn't he moved on fast? Who is that with him anyways?"_

_"Dear me, that's Hara Masako!"_

_"Why you're right! The famous television psychic..."_

_"With Joji Sachi? Who would have guessed?"_

_"Indeed..."_

Mai was drawn away from the chatter by one of the double doors swinging into her face,

"Hey!" she exclaimed, rubbing her forehead as she pushed through.

In front of her, Bou-san paused, but seeing as she was alright, he shrugged and threw her a wink,

"You know what they say about  _karma_..."

Mai glanced at his foot threateningly, but the monk made sure there was plenty of space between them as they continued down the hall.

Turning the corner the group entered the lobby. Mrs. Koku said nothing to any of them, but then caught sight of Mai (who was desperately trying to hide behind Bou-san) and called out,

"HOW WAS YOUR BREAKFAST?"

Mai halted, unable to pretend she didn't hear the woman, and sent her a smile,

"Very good, thank you," she answered politely, then attempted to hurry along, but Bou-san was walking so  _slow_  in front of her...

"MY GRANDSON LIKES YOU VERY MUCH, YOU WILL LIKE HIM TOO IF YOU ARE A SMART GIRL," the old woman shouted, a knowing smile on her ancient face.

Mai, practically trying to pass through Bou-san in order to get out the door, burned red. Mr. Sachi, in the lead of the group stopped and raised a questioning eyebrow to Masako who smiled,  

"It seems Mai has an admirer..." she said just loud enough for everyone to hear. Mr. Sachi laughed warmly at this,

"She is lucky then, Niko Koku is to inherit this Inn, which I hear is very successful, many a girl would vie to be in her position," he remarked, amused.

Mai listened to this with dread and continued to push Bou-san in vain. Finally, Mr. Sachi removed himself from the doorway and the group continued on, the old woman grinning widely at Mai as she left.

Being outside had never felt so good, never so free to Mai. Immediately she separated herself from Bou-san and walked ahead. A cool breeze whipped through her hair and brought a healthy glow to her face. Mai inhaled the fresh air and noted that there was a sweet fragrance on the wind, a floral scent.

_Lilies?_

Mai looked to the crowded town square where the festival preparations were all but finished, the garlands of the silky white lilies dancing about. Women and children raced here and there, adding the final touches, but where were the men? As if reading her mind, Bou-san came up along side Mai,

"No men out today. I suppose they're all writing."

Mai looked up at him questioningly, and the monk shrugged,

"Today honors Takuya Miyuki, the husband, and creativity," Bou-san recited,

"Or so I'm told," he added with a wink.

Mai cocked her head, still confused,

"Is that what they talked about in your meeting this morning?" she persisted.

Bou-san crossed his arms casually and looked around, squinting into the sun,

"Pretty much. Today, we're supposed to write a short story and enter it tonight at the festival. Once all the entries are collected, one story is drawn, and the man who wrote it is said to have the creativity of Mr. Takuya Miyuki flowing through his veins. He is then called Mr. Miyuki through out the rest of the festival," Bou-san answered, "Kinda strange, huh?"

"Interesting," Mai nodded thoughtfully, "does the whole festival have to do with men?"

Bou-san looked down at Mai with a sly smile,

"Nope, I heard it's the day of the wife or something tomorrow..."

Mai scowled at the monk beside her for sounding so delighted with the fact,

"Could you imagine," he continued, hardly able to contain his amusement, "Ayako as a dutiful wife?"

Mai's eyes drifted over to the miko who was walking ahead of them in high heels, and then shared a smirk with Bou-san,

"Hard to," she agreed.

They reached the theater, the old building stretched out before them, gleaming pleasantly in the sunlight. Mai narrowed her eyes; she would not be taken in by the innocent looking exterior. She knew what lay a head: those awful double doors.

Silently, she steeled herself as she climbed the steps. Naru, Lin, Mr. Sachi, and-- strangely, Ayako, all walked through without incident, but Mai knew that for her, it would be different. Sensing her hesitancy, Bou-san laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder, an unspoken offer to walk her through. Mai suddenly felt a surge of affection towards the monk and even wished she hadn't stomped on his foot quite so hard.

Behind her, Masako and John were the last to come up the stairs. Mai raised an eyebrow, wondering how the medium had managed to break away from their love-struck client. Her rival's cool blue eyes took in the doors, and from the look on her face, Mai could tell that she was having similar apprehensions about going in.

Drawing in a breath, Mai looked up at Bou-san to give him the okay, and they walked forward. For a moment the sensation was there, making her head start to ache, her stomach start to churn. In an instant they would be through, Mai hurried to name the feeling, something about it was so familiar...she took a firm step and that was it, she had been seen safely through by Bou-san.

"How was it? You alright?" the monk asked concernedly. Mai gave his hand on her shoulder a light squeeze,

"I hardly noticed, thank you Bou-san," she answered warmly. The monk let out a breath and straightened up,

"Glad to hear it. I'll just have to be your escort from now on then, and with you seeing that Niko guy, I don't think it's such a bad thing..." he decided knowingly. Mai reconsidered her regret for stomping on his foot, eyeing his unharmed one darkly,

"I don't need an escort and I'm not  _seeing_  Niko," Mai protested angrily.

Just then, out of the corner of her eye, Mai noticed Masako step through. The medium faltered on her last step, but luckily John was one step a head of her and able to offer a steadying hand. Noticing her attention was no longer on their argument, Bou-san followed Mai's gaze.

"Thank you," Masako murmured to John as she composed herself, letting go of his hand. The young priest smiled good-naturedly,

"It was nothing, are you alright?" he pressed, concern present in his voice.

The medium shut her eyes for a moment, an elegant sleeve coming to her pale lips. A tense second or two past and then her eyes opened again,

"Yes, I'm okay."

"Hey," Bou-san said, getting Masako's attention, "Mai seemed to feel better when crossing through the doors with my help, maybe John could help you next time?"

Mai smiled up at Bou-san, it was a well intended idea, but the medium didn't seem to take to it all that well. She made a small polite smile at the monk, meanwhile making space between herself and the priest,

"Thank you Bou-san, but I wouldn't bother John with helping me around--"

John glanced at Masako and opened his mouth to say something in which Mai thought, from the look on his face, might be contradictory, but she continued on without notice,

"If I should need help, I will simply call on Naru."

Beside the medium, John closed his mouth, a somewhat resigned expression upon his face.

The group went on, reaching a room halfway down the hall in which they had made base. Inside Mai noticed Lin had already taken his stationary place at his computer, his fingers tapping against the keys. Naru stood near his tall assistant, peering over his shoulder, pointing something out on the screen, Ayako sat on the couch examining her nails. Mr. Sachi was not present.

Hearing them come in, Naru glanced up at Mai, giving her a meaningful look in which, over the time she had spent working for him, she interpreted as;  _t_ _ea, now._ Feeling a bit self-important, Mai made her way over to a small counter in the corner of the room. A small teapot sat on a single burner. Carefully, Mai filled the empty tea pot with water from the tiny sink next to her and lit the stove top.

Behind her, Masako, Bou-san, and John filed in, each taking a seat. Mai placed the lid on the tea pot and turned away from the counter, she knew better than to watch the water boil. Slowly her eyes traveled across the room and once again they landed upon Ayako. Mai bit her lip; something was bothering her about the priestess, why hadn't the doorway affected her this time? She decided she would ask later. Naru had moved to stand in front of them, his arms crossed over his chest, the look on his face telling them it was now time to get serious.

"Mr. Sachi wants a through and complete investigation, so we will give him a through and complete investigation. As of yesterday, Lin and I have completed our interviews, the first being Miss Miyuki and the last being Mr. Sachi," Naru began, his cool gaze traveling over every face in the room.

When his eyes met Mai's she felt a slight blush rush to her cheeks. On the couch, Ayako's cheeks also flushed red, but for a different reason all together,

"That reminds me," she cut in sharply, "what was the meaning of pairing Takigawa-san and I up, only to run around the theater? You must have known that we would not perform exorcisms without any proof of paranormal activity, and in order to have proof we would need--" Ayako paused here to look grudgingly at the medium sitting across from her, "we would need a bit of help from Masako."

"I understand your confusion Matsuzaki-san, and I assure you I had my reasons. From what I gathered from the blueprints, this theater is much bigger than it seems. I needed you and Bou-san to familiarize yourselves with your surroundings if you are to execute your exorcisms in a timely order. If you recall when I sent you out yesterday, I said nothing about performing anything," Naru explained, his voice even and his gaze steady on the defiant miko.

"As for Hara-san--" Naru's use of the medium's  _last_  name caused Mai's head to snap up from her thoughts,

_Did he just call her Hara-san?_

Mai looked to her rival and there was no doubting it, the medium's face fell and her eyes rose to Naru's imploringly. But as they soon saw, there was no hope for her-- his use of her first name had been a fleeting thing. A swell of relief rose in Mai's chest, a smile immediately broke across her lips. Distracted, Mai didn't notice the water boiling in the tea pot, and sharp look from Naru brought her back down to earth. Startled, Mai hurried to turn off the stove and add the tea leaves. When satisfied that his tea was being made, Naru returned to addressing Ayako,

"As I was saying, while she was busy doing an interview for me yesterday, Hara-san will of course, be available to you now when needed."

"Right. The interview with Nari's mother," the priestess persisted, "why wasn't I asked to go?"

Mai, who had successfully finished preparing the tea, looked over at Naru, afraid that Ayako had taken things too far, but Naru showed no impatience with her questions, in fact, at this moment, he seemed amused,

"No offense Matsuzaki-san, but this interview required a delicate touch, and I didn't think you were the best suited for the job."

Ayako shot Masako and John, who had been sent on the interview, an unjustified glare.

"But...if you are so interested in the interviewing process, I would be more than happy to have you stay behind on our next case and help Lin and I," Naru offered, a thin smile on his lips.

This finally silenced the miko, and with a smoldering glare sent to Naru, she sat back on the couch and said nothing more. Mai crossed over to the table and poured Naru a cup of tea,

"I never heard anything about this interview," she said moving on to Bou-san's cup.

"No, I assume you were having lunch with a certain Niko Koku at the time," the monk remarked.

Mai's cheeks instantly burned at the mention of Niko's name and with narrowed eyes she sought out her revenge, attempting to locate the monk's foot. Catching on to her train of thought, Bou-san realized the danger of saying such a thing with Mai so close, he moved his unharmed foot out of the way just in time.

"We talked with Nari's mother; she seemed very interested in moving her daughter on to bigger things. She also mentioned that Nari and Mr. Sachi were once a couple..." John answered helpfully, sending a kind smile to Mai, who returned it wholeheartedly,

"Really?" she persisted curiously as she moved to pour the priest his cup of tea. John murmured a warm thanks and took his first sip of tea,

"Yes," Masako replied stiffly, "he was going to propose."

Mai looked up surprisedly as she filled Ayako's cup,

"They were going to get married?"

The medium nodded,

"But then Miss Miyuki arrived, and things got put off..."

Ayako scoffed into her tea,

"Put off?  _Please-_ \- the man got cold feet and jumped at his chance to get out of the engagement."  

Mai's brown eyes focused on Ayako, something in her voice sounded bitter,

"Men do not know how to keep commitments, Nari is better off without him."

A thick silence followed this statement. Mai stood from bending over the table and crossed the room to Lin's desk, pouring the last of the steaming amber liquid into his cup.

"How long ago was this?" Mai wondered, not completely satisfied with what she was hearing.

"I'm not sure, fairly recently I suppose?" John answered thoughtfully.

Mai nodded and returned the tea pot to the counter. She thought back to the day before, the festival grounds- the hurt look on Nari's face when she heard Mr. Sachi call Masako by her first name. Mai sighed to herself,

_Ayako may think Nari's better off without him, but does Nari think she's better off? Could she still be in love with him...?_ _?_

"Fine, so Bou-san and I were sent around to get lost in this theater and John and Masako were sent on a simple interview, but what was Mai sent to do? Have lunch with her betrothed?" Ayako persisted, feeling talkative again.

Mai whirled around from the counter, gritting her teeth, glad not to be holding the tea pot-- for she would have surely broken it. Fiercely, she opened her mouth to let Ayako have it, but then caught the look on Naru's face and decided otherwise. His eyes glinted darkly, it was obvious he didn't like this line of questioning; Ayako may have just broken through thin ice.

"Matsuzaki-san, I think I have made myself clear on why you all were sent on your respective assignments. I didn't not ask Mai to slack off and have lunch with Mr. Koku."

The heat in Mai's cheeks rose; she looked Naru with hard eyes.

_Slacked off, did I?_

"Enough questions, it's time to get to work. From the interviews we gathered from the actors and actresses of this theater, and from our personal encounters, Lin and I have pin-pointed some locations that will need attention. Mai--" Naru said, fixing a set of serious eyes on her, "you and John will be setting up the cameras and taking the temperatures of the rooms."

John nodded agreeably, but Mai only crossed her arms and looked away from her boss. Ignoring this, Naru moved on to addressing Ayako,

"Matsuzaki-san, I would like you to take Hara-san to the hall of mirrors. If she senses a presence there, you are free to perform a blessing."

Ayako exchanged a look with the medium, neither looked pleased to be working together, but a silent agreement was made.

"Bou-san," Naru said, finishing up with the monk, "I would like you to visit these select dressing rooms. The actors and actresses we talked to yesterday refuse to enter them, and as Mr. Sachi has stressed, it is critical to him that this theater runs smoothly. Your presence there could give piece of mind to his cast."

And that was it. With their orders, Ayako and Masako departed to the hall of mirrors. Lin handed a piece of paper to Naru, who in turn handed it to Bou-san. It was print-out of the theater and highlighted were the dressing rooms he wanted the monk to exorcise.

"So you won't get lost," he explained. Bou-san held Naru's gaze for a second, then nodded and left the room. Mai raised her eyebrows in confusion,

_What was that about? Why would he get lost? Is this place really that big?!_

"Here, you'll need this," Naru said handing over a chart to Mai. John crossed over to the large desk in the room and picked up a small camera and cord,

"Set up your first camera in the entrance," he instructed, already turning back to the computer screen Lin was staring at.

"Shall we go?" John wondered pleasantly. Mai blinked, removing her gaze from her boss, with a slight smile she nodded and they left the room.

Like usual the halls they walked through were dim, oil lamps providing orange light to see by. Mai and John entered the foyer, and in comfortable silence, he began to set up the stand and she started to take temperature readings.

"Naru already has an angle of the doors, he'll want one of the rest of room," John said, placing the camera on its tripod. Mai looked up from the chart she was marking,  _68.3 degrees_...

"Right," she agreed, walking over to the priest.

"How's this?" he wondered, making minor adjustments to the angle. Mai smiled and gave him the thumbs up,

"Perfect!"

John smiled back,

"Great, did you get a reading?"

"Yep," Mai answered, her eyes traveling over the chart again thoughtfully.

"Good, let's go back and get the next camera."

Just then something caught Mai's eye. A shadow. She froze on the spot; slowly turning in the direction she saw it.

"Mai...?" John called when he noticed he wasn't being followed back to base. Mai blinked and shook her head, there was nothing there. The room was empty. Managing a smile she caught up to John,

"Oh it's nothing, sorry," she dismissed brightly. John's gentle blue eyes regarded her for a moment, but then he nodded and walked on,

"Okay, if you say so..."

Arriving back at base, Mai helped John by taking a camera as well, and with orders to set up the next cameras in various rooms and halls, they headed out.

Mai shut the door behind her and marked,  _70.1_  on her chart. They had already set up several cameras that afternoon, and they were down to their last few.

"Where to next?" John asked after having set up yet another hall camera.

"A dressing room... _finally,_ " Mai said thankfully, this was the fourth hall camera they had set up in a row.

Mai's eyes traveled down her chart, all the halls seemed to have consistent temperatures. Quickly, they made their way to the dressing rooms on the other end of the theater. Mai looked around at the unfamiliar hallways and doors they past, Naru had been right, this theater was much bigger than it appeared. Suddenly, something Bou-san had said came floating back,

_There are lots of secret rooms, trap doors, and special effects in places like this..._

Mai swallowed and cast a wary look at her surroundings, nothing even vaguely familiar.

_That Naru! Why didn't he give us a map of this place too?!_

"It should be coming up here pretty soon, huh?" John said, speaking for the first time in a while.

Mai smiled nervously,

"Oh-- yeah, right..."

"Unless we're lost of course..." the priest chided lightly.

Mai's throat was dry and tight and her laughter came out rather like a squeak. Just then there were muffled voices, the hall curved and a door came into a view. Across the door, printed in clear letters, were the words:  _Dressing Rooms._ Mai and John exchanged a relieved look, then opened the door.

The dressing rooms, as it turns out, were right off the stage. The distant voices they had heard in the hall were the actors rehearsing. With wide eyes, Mai scoped out the back of the large stage. She had always wondered what it was like behind the scenes. A small group of actors and actresses standing by the edge of the stage looked up from their playbooks to see who had just joined them.

Mai and John smiled cheerfully at them and with a slight nod in return they went back to work. Mai walked closer to John, avoiding stage sets propped up on the wall, various lighting equipment (not in use), and costume racks. Mai's gaze traveled curiously about the stage, noting the heavy curtains and the row of doors they were approaching. Each dressing room was embellished with a star and the actor's name; about ten were stretched out in front of them.

"I don't see Mr. Sachi's," Mai commented, reading the names on each of the doors. John's face took on a thoughtful expression,

"You're right, but then again, Nari's isn't here either."

Mai blinked surprisedly and looked to the priest beside her,

"That's right! I almost forgot. I wonder why that is..." John shrugged, just as confused as she was.  

Just then a door to their right opened, startling the two investigators. Stepping into the dim backstage was Bou-san, fully garbed in his monk robes.

"Bou-san!" Mai exclaimed, clutching at her chest, "You scared me!"

Bou-san nodded to John and glanced at Mai,

"Sorry, it's not  _my_  fault you're so jumpy."

Mai crossed her arms and glared at him,

"What are you still doing here anyways, I thought you'd be done by now," she remarked.

Bou-san raised an irritated eyebrow at her,

"Oh yeah? Well you try doing ten exorcisms in a row," he grumbled.

Mai observed the monk, he did look tired...

"Are you nearly done then?" John broke in curiously, hoping to prevent a fight.

Bou-san nodded,

"Just a couple rooms left."

"Great, Mai and I will just follow behind you and set up these cameras, then we can walk back to base together," John suggested pleasantly. Bou-san agreed, and the three went their separate ways.

John and Mai entered their first dressing room. Blindly the priest reached for the oil lamp and turned it up. The small room swelled with orange light. Mai let out a little cry of surprise and John gasped. Somewhere down the stage, Mai heard Bou-san shout. Footsteps came up behind Mai,

"My room!"

The two investigators turned around to face a horrified looking woman. Heavy footsteps ran across the stage,

"Chiho, what is it?" a breathless voice demanded. It was Mr. Sachi and with one look at his actress' dressing room, his mouth fell open,

"But, but-- it was just exorcised, wasn't it?" he sputtered, dumbfounded.

The room was destroyed almost exactly as Nari's was. Clothes were torn and strewn about the floor, makeup streaked up and down the walls, the mirror was shattered, the shards laying there catching the oil lamp's light and reflecting it by casting orange spots on the ceiling. Mai noticed Bou-san standing in the doorway behind Mr. Sachi and Chiho,

"This room too...?" he said, stunned.

Mr. Sachi turned to look at the monk,

"What-- what is going on?" he asked, his face pale.

Bou-san set his jaw, a heaviness coming over his face,

"I guess the exorcisms weren't entirely successful..."

Mr. Sachi blinked at his as if unable to understand,

"What do you mean,  _weren't entirely successful?_ " he persisted, alarm etched deeply into his features. Bou-san shifted where he stood, his eyes traveling over the disaster,

"I mean they didn't work," he answered defeatedly.

Mai frowned; the monk looked exhausted and disappointed with himself.

"Bou-san..." Mai said attentively. Mr. Sachi ran a worried hand through his hair,

"Is-- is that normal?" he wondered, guiding his actress back from the room as if he feared it contaminated.

The three investigators all looked to each other without an answer, nothing in the paranormal field was  _normal_. More actors and actresses gathered around to see what was going on. Heels clicking against the hard wood floor, Nari pushed her way through and stared into the dressing room.

"Oh-- oh, Joji..." she breathed, a hand coming to her mouth. The playwright suddenly straightened up and faced the small crowd pushed in around him,

"Mr. Sachi, what's going on?"

"Mr. Sachi, are we in danger?"

"Should we be here?"

"You know, I had the strangest feeling just a moment ago..."

"Fear not, this is just a minor problem, you are all safe. Samuru, please take Chiho to the lounge and get her a cup of tea to calm her nerves. Everyone else, please continue to review your lines," Mr. Sachi ordered, his voice coming out clear and firm over the murmured anxieties of his cast.

This seemed to work, quickly the crowd dispersed and Chiho was whisked off by a fellow actor. All that remained was Nari who stood staring into the dressing room with obvious distress. Mr. Sachi looked to her with discomfort,

"Perhaps you would like some tea also Nari?" he suggested carefully. The woman shook her head silently,

"How long...how long will we have to live with this?" Her voice trembled, her eyes glistened, "All my life, I've thought of nothing but theater, but this morning I almost didn't come in..."

Suddenly, Nari let out a sob and crumpled against a stunned Mr. Sachi,

"There, there Nari," he said, patting her back uncertainly, "things will be okay, you'll see..."

The young actress pulled her head back just enough to stare into the playwright's eyes,

"I wish I could believe you, but as long as this keeps going on...I don't know if I can take it anymore."

Mr. Sachi's face turned troubled; firmly he took Nari by the shoulders and held her away from him,

"Nari, you will never say such a thing again, understood? You are a professional, the show will go on," the young playwright recited, obviously taking a stab at talking some sense into his star actress. Nari was released and hurriedly she began to wipe away her tears,

"Joji, you are right. I don't know what came over me..."

Mr. Sachi let out a sigh and smiled lightly at his actress,

"I really think you should get some tea, I'll take you there myself," he offered, holding out his arm.

Nari looked at his arm uncertainly, almost as if she thought it unreal, but then grasped it tightly, a blush rising to her cheeks that even Mai could see in the low light. As the two walked away, Mr. Sachi sent them one last look. It could have meant anything, but Mai understood it perfectly:  _d_ _o something!_

A silence settled over the three of them, with a frown, Mai stared at the dressing rooms next to her,

"I don't understand, how did this happen without us noticing?"

Bou-san shook his head and walked past, purposefully he began opening each door. Curious, Mai and John followed close behind. Just like Chiho's, each room was destroyed and all in the same way. Bou-san leaned against the door frame of the last dressing room, staring blankly into the chaos. Mai placed a supportive hand on his arm,

"Bou-san, this isn't your fault, and no one was hurt..."

The monk looked to Mai, his expression softening,

"I know, it's just--" Bou-san let out a long sigh, "I felt so confident in how things were going."

Mai nodded and another silence stretched between them. A respectful distance away, John finally spoke up,

"Perhaps we should try and put up the cameras," he suggested with a faint smile.

"You're right, it's the least we can do," Mai agreed leaving the monk's side to join the priest, "Bou-san, will you help us?"

Bou-san straightened up and took a camera from John,

"Of course, who do you take me for? Naru?" he answered with a wink, sounding more like himself.

The three of them shared a small laugh at Naru's expense, then got down to work. Diligently, Mai marked the temperature of each room; oddly all of them came back as normal.

 _67.5..._ Mai jotted down, finishing up with the last room. For no particular reason (perhaps she felt eyes on her), Mai looked up and found she was being watched. Across the stage the actors and actresses that had left to rehearse stood together in a small group, their eyes fixed on Mai and not their scripts. They shifted uneasily, obviously spooked by what happened not fifteen minutes ago. Determined to show them that they had nothing to be scared of, Mai drew herself up confidently and pretended to check her chart again, as if all the answers to the case were laid out there before her,

 _If only..._ Mai thought earnestly as her eyes scanned the various numbers. John pulled the door to the final dressing room closed with a soft click,

"Finished," he announced with a relieved sigh.

"Let's get out of here," Bou-san urged, avoiding the hard gazes of the actors and actresses he couldn't protect.

Mai nodded and tucked her temperature chart underneath her arm. Out in the hall, Bou-san pulled a small piece of paper from his robes-- the map Naru had given him. Mai let out a sigh and relaxed. She had been less than thrilled to wander the empty halls of the Miyuki Theater again, but now...

_Good, Bou-san can lead us back._

Beside her, John looked similarly relieved. Following Bou-san's sure lead, Mai let her attention wander...

Window, door, lamp.

Window, door, lamp.

Window, door, lamp.

Mai began to feel her focus slip. How long until they reached base...would she even still be awake by then? Mai was stuck by a sickening feeling. She was tired.  _E_ _xhausted_. She was slipping, falling under; she was going to...

Mai halted and clenched her jaw,

_What's going on...?_

Mai blinked rapidly, straining to keep her eyes open. It was almost as if time had slowed down, the room blurred around her and then all was suddenly clear. A door in a small corner off the hall they just turned down stood before her, calling to her.

"Mai?" a sharp voice brought her back to her senses.

Suddenly Mai was released from her daze. Her throat dry and her heart pounding, Mai looked to Bou-san who had come to stand by her, concern burning in his eyes. Mai opened her mouth but words wouldn't come, she was having trouble looking up at the monk, something was luring her gaze back to the door.

"That-- that door," she finally managed, and unable to resist, she found herself moving towards it, the draw becoming stronger and stronger as she neared it. Standing behind, Bou-san reached out for her, but missed.

Mai's eyes searched the door, but what for she didn't know. Following the grains in the wood her gaze traveled down past the door handle and to the floor, there-- sticking out barely an inch, an edge to a rug. Mai bent down, staring at it, mesmerized as though she had just discovered some valuable treasure. The corner was frayed, faded, and old, but Mai couldn't mistake it-- she had seen this rug before. A strong hand pulled Mai on her feet and a few steps back,

"Mai, what are you doing? Are you okay?" Bou-san asked, staring at her as though she had lost her mind. Mai stared back at Bou-san as if she barely recognized him, then shook her head, attempting to regain some control.

Silently, John placed himself between Mai and the door, his blue eyes troubled. Mai took a calming breath, her heart no longer pounding quite so hard, and managed a small reassuring smile,

"Sorry, I'm okay... _really,_ " Mai answered, stressing the last part when she was met with unconvinced stares. Mai went to look back at the door, but John obstructed her view and Bou-san's heavy hand still held her shoulder. With a slight frown Mai freed herself from the monk and moved around the priest,

"Bou-san there's something here, we need to go into this room," she explained, staring down at the familiar goddess depicted at the edge of the rug. Without waiting for answer, she reached for the door handle and turned it. With a click and a creak, the door opened. Mai coughed and covered her nose, a strong smell of must greeting her. Blinking into the dark and waving away the dust that swirled about her eyes; Mai took a step forward and froze.

Her eyes adjusting with every passing second, Mai's suspicions were confirmed. A fire place, two large chairs, and small table in-between them. She was standing in exactly the same place as in her dream, and stretched out beneath her feet, a rug spinning a tale of Greek goddesses. With wide eyes she glanced at the windows, as expected they were covered with heavy curtains.

"What...what is this place?" Bou-san asked, coming to stand by her side, looking around confusedly.

"It looks to be some kind of office, but why is it in such disrepair?" John wondered, running his hand along a shelf, dust coating his fingers. Movement near the fireplace-- Mai's eyes darted there and she let out a small cry. Suddenly Bou-san and John were alert,

"Mai-- what is it?" the monk questioned, his sharp eyes drinking in his surroundings. Near him, John held the cross at his neck and narrowed his eyes at the shadows.

Materializing before her, the shape of a man, and then he stood there, as real as herself. At this moment, Mai prepared herself for the icy feeling of fear to shoot through her, the scream to rise in her throat-- but there was nothing. She stared blankly back at the old man she had seen in her dreams, at his gentle old eyes, the seemingly real lines that ran across his distinguished face.

"Mai?" Bou-san persisted; she could feel him staring at her. Mai opened her mouth, and at the same time the old man raised a finger to his mouth, a silent plea not to say anything. Dumbly, she nodded,

_They can't see him...._

"Mai are you alright, why did you cry out?" John said, attempting to get through to her. Blinking, she tore her gaze away from the spot near the fireplace she was staring at,

"I-- I thought I saw a mouse," she answered, and for added measure she clung to the monk beside her. Bou-san stared down at her as though debating whether to believe her or not, after a moment he shook her off,

"Hey now, what has gotten into you?" he questioned, raising a critical eyebrow at her, "You're the one who wanted to come in here in the first place, come on let's go..."

John nodded earnestly and Bou-san placed a hand on her shoulder, looking to guide her out. Mai looked back to the old man, urgency clouded his features, his hand moved quickly to point to the small table. In the gloom a small frame sat alone, gathering dust. Mai's eyes widened in shock and suddenly she was wrenching herself away from Bou-san's grasp, she couldn't leave yet...

"Mai!" the monk cried after her, bewildered and worried something was wrong. Just before he could stop her, a shrill scream filled the air. The three of them looked to the door in panic,

"Ayako!" they exclaimed and at once they burst out of the room. Mai was halfway down the hall, her heart pounding in her ears again-- Ayako and Masako were in trouble...and yet, a part of her was still standing in that derelict room, moving towards that table....

Mai came to a halt, she was already yards behind Bou-san and John, if she hurried, they wouldn't even notice she was gone. Closing her eyes to gather strength, Mai turned back, running as fast as she could to the room. The door stood open, inviting her into the darkness. Panting, Mai stepped into the room, her eyes finding the old man still standing there, almost expectantly. Mai felt herself shiver despite the heat that rose up her neck and into her cheeks,

_He knew I was going to come back..._

Mai shook her head and clenched her jaw determinedly, she had no time for fear, she needed to see that picture and get out. With purposeful strides she crossed over to the small table. Dust rose in a cloud as she picked it up from its place, evoking a cough from Mai. Through squinted eyes she stared down at a photo of a little girl. Mai hesitated for a moment, glancing up at the old man, finding herself startled at how close she was now standing to him.

"Should...I take it?" she asked, her voice small in the silence.

The old man nodded, his eyes lit in the darkness. Mai swallowed hard and began to take apart the frame. Suddenly she was in a hurry, her fingers fumbled with the parts, but then-- success. Holding the fragile picture in her hands, Mai sent the old man one more look before running out of the room.

 

 


	5. In Which: Mai Is A Fair Maiden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dearest readers, here's the next installment! This chapter gives me a craving for ice cream...is it just me? :) ps: jealous!Naru really is my favorite. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!

**Day Three**

**4:15pm**

**The Miyuki Theater**

Mai burst from the room at full speed, her feet slapping the floor as she ran, a cold sweat breaking across her forehead. At some point in her rush, she managed to tuck the picture inside her pocket. The corridors blew past Mai as she turned corner after corner, but slowly it dawned on her that she had no idea where she was or where she was running to. Confused, Mai came to a halt at yet another corner. Panting she glanced around, the hallways in front of her and behind her were draped in a veil of silence.

_Darn it! Which way did they go? Which way did I go...?_

Mai straightened up, swallowing the lump of panic that had risen in her throat; this was no time to lose her cool. Taking a few deep breaths and closing her eyes, Mai strained to hear anything at all that would lead her towards Ayako and Masako. But there were no sudden cries, no foot steps, no voices-- nothing.

Mai opened her eyes with a frown, it was as if the world was muffled somehow-- or muted. A terrible thought crept in the back of her mind, maybe this was a side effect of the vision she just had? Maybe she could hear nothing at all? A cold shiver rushed through Mai, her heart began to pound, the panic rose again in her throat and this time she was helpless to swallow it.

In one frantic motion Mai kicked the wall nearest her and was answered with a dull  _thud_ and a surprised cry from herself. Mai winced and held her foot, she hadn't meant to kick out quite so hard, but relief filled her- she had heard the  _thud_  and her own voice.

Reassured that she had not lost her hearing, Mai decided to turn the corner she had just came up on, if she was lucky it would lead her somewhere she recognized. That was when she heard it-- like a shot Bou-san's voice reached her ears. Knowing that she must be getting closer, Mai broke into a run, wincing occasionally at the pain that flared in her foot.

Mai reached the end of the hall and realized that it branched off in two directions, Mai quickly looked left and saw nothing but an endless hall- but she then looked right and there, at the opposite end, stood Bou-san and the others. Relief swelled in Mai's chest, blocking out the protest her foot was putting up as she found herself running towards them even faster than before.

"Hey!" Mai called as she approached, but no one seemed to notice, they were all staring at the wall. Mai's eyes widened, stretched out across almost the whole length of the right side of the hall-- mirrors one after another, all gilded and gleaming.

 _The Hall of Mirrors?_ Mai thought as she recalled Naru's orders to Ayako and Masako.

Mai stopped a few feet away from them, just outside the reflection of the first mirror,

"Bou-san..." Mai persisted, looking at him with concern.

The monk stood there rigidly, unblinking, his face the color of ash. When she couldn't get a response, Mai looked to Ayako beside him. Her cheeks were drained of all color, her mouth open in a kind of eternal scream, her hands grabbed at Bou-san's sleeve in horror.

Mai felt the warmth of her relief leave her, replaced by cold fear. In alarm, she looked to Masako next. She looked like a broken porcelain doll, her dark hair falling wildly across her white face, her blue eyes staring unseeingly as though they were glass.

At the sight of the three of them rendered motionless, Mai felt the fear take hold of her mind, terrifying conclusions racing through her head. It was then that she saw John. He stood just on the other side of Masako, his hand clutching the cross at his neck, gazing into the mirror in front of him. Suddenly he looked away, and noticing Mai, shouted,

"Stay back!"

Stiff with fear, Mai did as she was told and stumbled even a few more steps from the mirrors,

"John..." Mai breathed, her eyes flicking to the helpless forms of her friends.

"Mai, it's the mirrors, don't look into them!" John warned, and with great concern he looked to the frozen figures next to him. In the next moment he swiftly took hold of Masako and attempted to pull her from the mirrors. A switch flipped inside of Mai, she had reached the point where she was numb from the fear and now the adrenaline was kicking in. Without thought she surged towards Bou-san, grabbed his arm and tugged-

"Bou-san, come on! Snap out of it!"

The monk wouldn't budge, he stood there in his dead weight, staring-- mesmerized by the mirror in front of him. Across from Mai, John was having trouble with Masako as well, and while her dead weight could hardly be called heavy, she had become limp, falling against John and then slipping from his grasp. The priest struggled to hold her up, moving inch by inch away from the mirrors.

Mai pulled and pulled Bou-san's arm, but he wouldn't even lean, and soon she began to fear she would tear his arm out of socket. Panting with a cold sweat, Mai let go of the monk's arm with a cry of frustration. How long could he be like this before some kind of permanent damage happened? Down the hall, John almost had Masako to safety. Mai looked to Bou-san with renewed vigor,

_I won't give up on you Bou-san! Now move!_

And then an idea struck Mai, and before she could think about what she was doing, she lunged at the monk, full force. For a split second Mai was suspended in air, and then she was falling as she gripped onto Bou-san. It was all over in an instant and the two of them hit the ground with a heavy  _thud--_ a second  _thud_ following immediately after. Mai looked down at Bou-san, the monk had broke her fall, a look of pain filled his face as he let out a groan,

"Bou-san!" she cried and thoughtlessly she engulfed him in a hug that caused him to let out another groan.

" _Ugh_...Mai? What are you doing?" he protested, blinking up at her through watering eyes.

"Oh, sorry..." she mumbled moving off him, embarrassed. Gingerly, the monk sat up and looked around,

"Wh- what is going on here...?" he asked as he took in the sight of a worried looking Mai, and the fallen body next to him,

"Ayako?"

Shocked, Mai looked past Bou-san to see the figure of the miko on the floor beside them,

"Oh no, Ayako!" Mai exclaimed as she clamored to her feet and hurried to her side.

"I forgot...she was holding on to you...she must have fallen when we did," she murmured, taking the woman's hand and looking her over.

Ayako's tightly shut eyes flickered as Mai's warm fingers covered her own cold ones. Recovering quickly, Bou-san moved Mai out of the way, and took Ayako's head in his hands. She had landed with her head slightly propped up against the wall, leading Mai to believe that she must have hit her head on the way down. Bou-san checked her concernedly, tilting her head gently left and right, his fingers running through her hair, feeling for any swelling. As he felt the back, the monk drew in a sharp breath,

"She does have bump here, and it's pretty big, we need to get ice on it," Bou-san said, moving to pick up Ayako.

"Wait!" Mai cried, pulling down on his arm.

"Ow!" Bou-san exclaimed, "That hurt, my arm's sore for some reason..."

"Bou-san, you can't look into those mirrors," Mai persisted, avoiding saying anything about his arm.

"I know," he answered with a frown, "We need to talk to Naru,  _now._ "

Just then Mai remembered John; quickly she looked down the hall,

"John, how is Masako?" she called worriedly.

The priest was leaning over Masako's motionless figure; he looked up at Mai uncertainly,

"We need to get her back to base, Bou-san how are you feeling?"

The monk stood, careful to face away from the mirrors, and gathered Ayako in his arms,

"I'll be fine, it's Ayako we should be concerned about," he answered selflessly, but Mai could tell he wasn't okay; he winced holding Ayako's dead weight in his arms. Mai looked back to John,

"Here, let me help you," she offered as she saw John lifting her limp body with difficulty. Reaching them, she hung one of Masako's arms around her neck and leaned some of her weight onto her shoulder. John adopted the same position and the two of them made slow progress. It seemed like an eternity back to the base and several times Masako almost slipped from their hold. Mai gritted her teeth as she was forced to step on her sore foot again and again with the added weight of Masako bearing down on it. John looked over at her wonderingly, but Mai merely smiled through the pain.

Finally they reached base. Naru and Lin looked supremely surprised to see them, carrying each other and limping along into the room.

"What is going on here?" Naru demanded, stepping away from Lin's desk to intercept them. Bou-san laid Ayako down on the couch and sank down beside it, rubbing his shoulder with obvious discomfort,

"We need ice, now."

Naru looked to Lin and the tall man rushed from the room. Hastily Naru moved forward to take Masako from John and Mai, who by now were sagging from the effort of traveling all that way with her. Making it look easy he carried the medium over to an arm chair and set her down in it. With a dark expression he looked back to Mai and John, who each had collapsed into chairs of their own,

"What happened?" he repeated, taking off his jacket and placing it over Masako's cold form. Mai looked to John-- she had arrived too late to know the whole story. The priest glanced over at Ayako,

"We had just left the dressing rooms, the exorcisms hadn't gone well-- when we heard a scream. We ran to see what was happening, and when we got there we saw Ayako and Masako frozen in front of a wall of mirrors. We tried to get them to move, but they wouldn't, and then I looked into the mirror--" John paused here looking troubled.

"It was the same as before," Bou-san suddenly spoke, his voice forbidding, "decay and death..."

Mai felt a shiver run up her spine at hearing this, with wide eyes she stared at her two unconscious team members,

_So that's what they saw..._

Naru stood from Masako's side and paced the floor, a look of deep concentration on his face,

"What happened then?"

Bou-san grew quiet, rubbing his shoulder thoughtfully, "I'm not really sure..."

"I can't explain what it's like to see yourself...like that. It held us frozen there, that's when Mai arrived," John answered with a deep frown, as if he was staring into the mirror again. Sitting next to him, Mai gave the troubled priest a sympathetic smile.

"Mai arrived? You mean, she wasn't with you?"

Mai's smile faded at the sound of Naru's hard voice, she felt his eyes burning into her,

"Mai, why weren't you with them?" Naru persisted, his pacing stopped and his full attention on her. Mai's stomach dropped, she had been drawn back to the room by that old man, a man neither Bou-san nor John knew she had seen, a man who wanted his existence kept a secret...in her mind Mai saw him drawing a finger to his lips, a pleading look in his eyes.

_If I can't say anything, what can I tell Naru..?_

In her pocket the photo sat heavily and with every breath Mai feared Naru could hear it crinkle. Naru narrowed his eyes at her, her silence was only more incriminating,

"Well?"

"Yeah," Bou-san spoke up, "where were you?"

Beside her John looked to Mai, but not nearly as suspiciously as Bou-san and Naru were.

"Hey, I'm the one who saved you," Mai snapped turning her gaze on the monk, "you should be grateful I showed up when I did!"

"Don't change the subject, where were you Mai?" Naru cut in sharply, he was determined to get answers. Mai felt herself heat up, she was being forced to meet Naru's eyes, could she lie to him like that? Would he even believe her?

"I was coming, I just couldn't keep up with Bou-san and John."

Mai's words came out convincing enough, unfortunately there were so many holes in her statement that she knew Naru could see right through it. Naru crossed his arms and leered over at her, staring down her bold faced lie. He wasn't about to let her go, he opened his mouth, but never got the chance to speak.

Lin entered the room with two bags of ice, tailed by Mr. Sachi with two more bags. At the sight of Masako slumped limply in the chair, he let out a horrified gasp,

"Masako!" he cried, and ice bags abandoned, he ran over to her, "oh Masako, speak to me, say something..." he pleaded, holding her head in his hands, brushing her hair out of her face. John stood and Naru crossed over to the hysterical playwright,

"Mr. Sachi, please let Hara-san be," Naru requested, coming to stand between them.

Mr. Sachi's eyes were lit with concern, "But-- but she's hurt! She needs help!" he protested, taking her lifeless hand in desperation. Mai looked to John who was standing next to her, his face pale with worry; he kept opening his mouth, only to close it a second later.

"Please, Mr. Sachi, we're not sure what's wrong with her, you could do her more harm than good by moving her," the priest finally managed to say. Mr. Sachi stared at Masako as if she was on her death bed; he let his hand fall from hers dramatically,

"Fine. If that's how it is..."

Naru stared at his client darkly, unamused with his dramatics. Mai watched the relief pour over John's face, with a heavy sigh he sat down again.

"We have no reason to believe its anything serious Mr. Sachi," Naru assured, trying to coax the man from the medium's side. The playwright was reluctant to budge,

"Some ice, maybe some ice would revive her?" he persisted, planting himself firmly beside Masako. Lin passed in front of Mai, handing out a bag of ice to Bou-san, who ignoring the pain in his shoulder, administered it to Ayako's head immediately. The miko frowned at the sudden cold, her eyes flickering; she let out a soft moan.

"Don't be such a baby," Bou-san chided her, but his voice was surprisingly gentle.

While Ayako continued to stir, Mr. Sachi was trying to persuade Lin into giving him an ice bag,

"Please, I just want to see her move, twitch,  _anything,_ " he pleaded, squeezing Masako's hand tightly in his.

"Mr. Sachi, she needs  _no_  ice. Lin, leave a bag for Bou-san's shoulder. John, are you hurt as well?" Naru questioned, his back to them. He had crossed the room to the small counter where Mai had made tea at earlier, and was preparing another pot. Mai watched him with a small smile, he could have asked her to make the tea, but he didn't.

"No, I'm fine thank you," John answered, sounding more like himself.

Lin did as Naru asked, left a bag of ice for Bou-san and gave none to Mr. Sachi. Sitting in her chair, Mai watched Bou-san apply his ice bag to his shoulder enviously. Her foot throbbed, how nice would it be to place a bag of ice on her swollen toes? Her eyes flicked to Naru who was handing off a cup of tea to John, his dark eyes caught hers for a second-- looking away quickly Mai gritted her teeth, there would be no ice for her.

_Not without telling Naru what really happened anyways..._

"Mai, for you."

Pulled from her thoughts, Mai looked up at Naru staring down at her, a tea cup extended towards her. Mai swallowed nervously, something in his eyes glinted at her as if to say,  _I know you're hiding something..._

Not nearly fast enough for Mai's liking, Naru moved on, giving his next cup to Bou-san, and then Lin. Neither awake yet, Naru set aside Ayako and Masako's tea for later. Sitting for the first time, Naru placed himself in a chair between the miko and medium. Refusing to leave Masako's side, Mr. Sachi stood hovering over her, muttering things like, "I think I saw her move" and "If you look hard enough, her eyes flutter..."

"Hey--" Bou-san suddenly spoke up, "she's waking..."

Everyone looked to the couch he was sharing with Ayako. Indeed the priestess was stirring, and in the next moment-- she opened her eyes. An instant passed, her vision swam and then adjusted, without warning, she let out a cry and flew upright.

"Takigawa-san!" she shouted, whacking his shoulder rather hard for a person who had just been unconscious.

"Ouch!" he cried just as loud, grabbing his tender shoulder, "what's gotten into you?"

"What has gotten into  _me_? What has gotten into  _you_?! Get away from me!" she protested, her cheeks burning red, but Mai had a strange feeling it wasn't entirely from anger. Standing now, tending to his shoulder, the monk shot her a dark look,

"How's that for gratitude? See if I save  _you_ again."

Ayako closed her mouth and looked around the room at all of them for first time.

"Saved me? What are you talking about...?" she finally asked, this time sounding more uncertain than aggressive.

Bou-san sat down rather roughly, rubbing his shoulder. Ayako moved her legs out of the way and sent him a disgruntled look.

"I saved you. Hard to believe anyone would bother though..." he grumbled, reaching for his ice bag.

"Ayako, how is your head?" Naru asked, before she could argue with Bou-san. Ayako frowned slightly, gingerly touching the back,

"It hurts actually..."

Naru nodded and took a sip of his tea; meaningfully he looked to the bag of ice at Bou-san's feet. Ayako followed his gaze and the Bou-san reached down for the bag. With a shrewd smirk, the monk held it out just so the miko had to lean forward to take it. With an irritated huff, Ayako snatched it out of Bou-san's grasp. There were a few moments of silence in which the air crackled between them and then a gasp from Mr. Sachi broke the tension.

Sitting slumped on the chair, Masako's head moved, and then she let out a small whimper. A frown formed on her pale pink lips and her delicate brows furrowed in distress. John stood once again, worry flooding his features.

"Masako-- Masako it's alright, Joji's here. Follow my voice...come away from the light..."

Abruptly Naru stood, crossed over to the armchair, and brushed Mr. Sachi aside. The playwright sputtered in shock and offense, but Naru hardly seemed to care, and ignoring his client he ordered Lin to bring him a wet cloth.

"Naru..?" Mai whispered, leaning forward in her seat, her concern for Masako's health out shining her concern for just how close Naru was to her rival. Near her, John seemed pale and was staring at Naru with equal concern blazing in his eyes.

"But-- but you said there was nothing to be worried about!" Mr. Sachi protested, finding his voice again after his moment of shock. Naru shot the playwright next to him a hard look as he accepted the cloth Lin was offering him, murmuring his thanks.

Blocking out his client pointedly (which Mai could see was no easy task as with each second he was pressing in...) Naru leaned in close to Masako's ashen face and ran the cool rag over her forehead, his gaze deeply concentrated on her face. Mai was suddenly struck with a prickly sensation that ran up and down her spine, her stomach clenched slightly. He was too close now...too close...

And then Mai saw it, but only just so-- the medium's eyes had opened for the briefest of moments, then closed tightly. Naru must have been blinking in that moment, because he said nothing and persisted to run the cloth across her forehead and cheek in such a way that it made Mai's insides burn.

And then there was movement again, Masako began to frown much deeper than she had, her head began to jerk left and right, each time coming infuriatingly close to Naru's. There were relieved sighs and excited gasps around the room at this sign of life, Mai merely growled under her breath. The image of Masako opening her eyes moments before re-played in her head, she saw clearly what the medium was up to.

_That Masako._

"Naru...Naru..." Masako began to mumble in her apparent unconsciousness. Mai gritted her teeth,

_The nerve!_

"Naru...save me...I--"

"Enough!" Mai suddenly shouted, standing up from her chair, her chest heaving. The room fell silent, all eyes bore into Mai with confusion. From anger or otherwise, her cheeks flushed.

"I...I mean, someone should wake her up already-- it's obvious she's-- uh-- distressed..." Mai mumbled unconvincingly.

Everyone blinked back at her blankly, but then passion sprung into Mr. Sachi, and before Naru (who was giving Mai a seriously dark look) could speak, the playwright exclaimed,

"She's right! She must be awoken before she is put through anymore--"

Mr. Sachi then boldly proceeded to squeeze himself next to Naru and just as his hand was reaching for her shoulder, Masako's eyes began to flutter open. She squinted with dim awareness at the faces above her,

"Naru?" she said in a decidedly weak voice. Feeling that perhaps she hadn't taken notice of him yet (but she had...) Mr. Sachi drew her hand in his and smiled down at her,

"And  _Joji_ too," he announced, adding emphasis on his name.

"Naru, it was so horrible..." she said, still pretending Mr. Sachi wasn't hovering over her face, and with one swift move reached out for Naru's shoulder. Mai self-imploded where she stood, but before she could recover her voice, Naru stood and Masako's hand fell unceremoniously back to her side,

"Someone please get Hara-san her tea," he said crossing the room in deep thought.

Mr. Sachi moved a fraction of an inch at the order, looking to offer the medium comfort, but his reluctance to leave her side was strong, and for a moment he sat uncertainly, suspended between the choices. But his distress was quickly put to an end as John leaped up to meet the task. He picked up the cup from the table and coming to a stop at the only place Mr. Sachi was not hovering over, extended the luke warm tea to her.

Masako, who had been staring stunned at the spot where Naru had left her, her mouth slightly agape, was forced to met John's eyes and thank him mildly for the tea. John stood there only a moment longer, and then returned to his seat.

At the other end of the room, Naru stood near the doorway,

"Mai-- Lin, follow me," he ordered and then vanished into the hall. Like always, Lin was out the door before Mai could even process that she had been spoken to, and feeling slightly stunned herself, hurried after them. They were already halfway down the hall when Mai emerged from base and she had to run if she hoped to catch them.

"Naru--" Mai panted irritably as she bounded up to them, "slow down a second-- what is going on?"

Naru's dark eyes flicked to her briefly, and not slowing his brisk pace any, he merely answered,

"Put your hair up in this."

Holding her side Mai came to a halt staring at the elastic band Naru held in his hand.

"Wha-?"

Naru, once again a few paces ahead of her, was forced to come to a stop. A moment of stillness and silence passed with Lin and Naru staring at her, and then with a strained laugh she realized that they meant for her to come and take it. A bit embarrassed and growing more and more confused, Mai shuffled up to Naru and took it from his hand, conscious of her fingers brushing the warm skin of his palm. Her cheeks now a fair shade of pink, Mai was glad for an excuse to bend down, and proceeded to gather her hair, her face conveniently out of sight of her handsome boss. Never the less, she felt his eyes on her as he said,

"Everything will be explained when we reach the Hall of Mirrors."

Mai righted herself, and having drawn her short hair into a sort of ponytail, they moved on. They were approaching the Hall of Mirrors faster than Mai had expected. For a brief moment the image of the old man flashed in her head, the photo was heavy in her pocket again, her eyes fell on Naru a few steps ahead of her-- and in that instant he glanced back at her. Mai tensed and quickly looked away.

_How does he know! It's like he can read my mind..._

Mai's stomach did a sort of flip-flop at the thought. If he could read her mind then-

_He would know how I feel about him..._

A blush began to creep up Mai's neck, but then her next thought completely extinguished it,

_Then he would also know about the man. He would know I'm lying to him..._

Mai squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, hoping to block out all images and thoughts having to do with her secret ghostly encounter, just in case Naru was reading her mind.

 _He probably can't though..._ she thought, trying to calm herself.

They turned a corner and all thoughts of mind reading and ghosts were jarred from her head completely. Mai's eyes were drawn down the hall, to the place where she had found half her friends frozen. Terrible images of their expressions flashed before her, and suddenly her feet felt as if made of lead, she could go no further. Naru detected her slowed pace, silently he took her hand. This surprising contact was enough for Mai to surface from her terror for a moment and blink surprisedly at the back of his head. Beside them, Lin said nothing and appeared to notice nothing.

Being more or less pulled along, Mai reached the part of the hall just before the mirrors, here Naru stopped and let go of her hand. He turned and looked at her,

"Mai, I want you to help me with something, could you stand in front of one of the mirrors?"

There was nothing forceful in the question, his tone was even and open for her to decline, even so Mai asked,

"Those mirrors, you want me to stare into one of those mirrors?"

Patiently Naru nodded,

"Yes."

Mai stared down the length of hall, every few inches one of the mirrors hung, gleaming in the dim light.

"But-- you saw what happened earlier-- I don't understand," Mai stammered, bewildered, glancing from Naru to the mirrors and back again.

Again Naru nodded, but said nothing to persuade her, the only thing betraying any emotion on his face were his eyes, they stared steadily into hers, conveying an unspoken message:  _t_ _rust me._

Mai swallowed and drew in a deep breath. Her mind was made up, she trusted him. Calmly, Naru stepped aside. This was where that mind reading thing came into play again; he knew her answer without her even speaking a word.

_How...?_

But Mai didn't have time to dwell long, for in the next moment she turned to face the mirror. Mai blinked. It was strange, she knew it was her face staring back at her, but it wasn't any version of her face she recognized. It was as if all color had been drained from her reflection, her skin was pale, wrinkled, and so thin that the bones it clung to were visible. Mai shuddered and let out a horrified gasp. She felt herself take a step back; she had the sudden urge to run, run far and fast, anything to stop staring into her horrible reflection.

Just then Mai noticed a light pressure on her shoulders, with some difficulty she was able to look up. Reflected in the mirror above her was Naru, he had come to stand behind her, his hands on her shoulders.

_Naru._

Calm spread through out her, Naru's presence was the strength she needed to stay focused. She looked again into her ancient features, her hair falling white as snow around her face, her eyes clouded and lifeless. Suddenly Naru's grip was much tighter on Mai's shoulders.

Uncertainly she looked up to see Naru staring back at his reflection with the strangest expression, his eyes wide and hallow. Mai's calm evaporated from her, if Naru was disturbed by what he was seeing, things were just as bad as she thought them before. An icy sensation settled in Mai stomach, the urge to run consumed her again, but just before she could break away, Lin's urgent voice cut the air,

"Naru!"

As if broken from a spell Naru stepped back, pulling Mai with him, and then letting her go, turned away. Mai looked after Naru with a mixture of confusion and curiosity, trying to catch a glimpse of his face, but his back was to her. When Mai persisted, Lin stepped in between them, shielding Naru from view.

"How was it?"

Mai's eyes darted to where she presumed Naru stood behind him, was he asking her? After a moment of silence and steady staring on the Chinese man's part, Mai managed to say,

"Well...terrible..."

"Mai reacted as I figured," Naru suddenly spoke, and Lin stepped aside, revealing Naru to be facing them, completely composed. Mai looked from one man to the other, thoroughly confused, what was that? Why had Lin stopped her from seeing Naru?

"What do you mean,  _as you figured_?" Mai finally asked some moments later, realizing that neither Naru nor Lin were going to explain what just happened. Naru looked down the hall, then back at them, and began to walk,

"I knew that you would not freeze like the others, and you didn't. You reacted as I figured," he answered vaguely. Crossing her arms Mai began to follow,

"You didn't know that for sure, what if I had ended up like Masako, or worse?" she protested, glaring at the back of her boss' head. It was barely detectable, but a small smile pulled at Naru's lips,

"You wouldn't. You do not appreciate your looks nearly as much as Hara-san does her own," he stated mysteriously.

Mai clenched her fists; she was beginning to get angry. Why did everything he had to say always end up with Masako? Wouldn't anybody give her a straight answer? Was what he just said an insult or a compliment to her anyways? Naru must have noticed her hostile vibes, because he then decided to elaborate,

"What you saw earlier, Mai, was not some supernatural effect of the mirrors, it was a self induced reaction. They were being held there by themselves. It was their shock. You may recall that John had not become frozen, why do you think that was?" This last part was asked with a glance back at her. A fresh blush rushed to Mai's cheeks, she hated it when he looked at her like that, she felt put on the spot, her brain felt miles away,

"Well-- uh...um," she struggled, unable to think of anything intelligible, steadily blushing deeper. Naru faced forward again,

"Vanity, Mai. John, and consequently yourself, as I suspected, are not vain. You were shocked with the sight of death; they were shocked with the sight of themselves old and decayed. This affected their sense of vanity so much that they became frozen where they stood, unable to look away."

The blush subsiding from Mai's cheeks, she attempted to think some of this through. So it was vanity that caused such reactions then? Mai pictured Bou-san, Masako, and Ayako and saw it made sense. Then an idea struck her,

"Naru," Mai began, keeping her voice as even as she could, "If their vanity caused Bou-san and Ayako to freeze, why did Masako..?" Mai trailed off artfully as Naru nodded,

"I suppose it affected her that much more," he allowed.  _Her vanity was that much more_.  _Masako equals vain, Mai equals not_ , was the unspoken comparison Mai left hanging. Mai's hand wandered to where her ponytail was coming out,

"So, if you were just seeing if I would freeze or not, why did I need to put my hair up?" she wondered, raising an eyebrow at Naru.

"I did not bring you there to see if you'd freeze or not Mai, I've already explained that I knew you didn't take care of your looks enough to be vain--" here Mai winced at the out and out insult, "--I brought you there and had you put up your hair to test something. I am now positive that those mirrors, no matter how antique they look, are not original to this theater, I have reason to believe that they may have been put in just weeks ago."

Mai's eyes widened in surprise,

"What?"

"Didn't you notice? The reflection was of you with your hair down," Naru answered, his vagueness returning and with it Mai's confusion. Mai recalled her reflection to mind, Naru was right. She hadn't noticed before, she had been too terrified to catch such a simple thing, but Naru had.

"You had me put up my hair to see if my reflection would match it? But how did you know...?"

"It was a simple test. The reflection did not change; those are not normal mirrors..." Naru said quietly, more talking to himself now. Mai's anger was returning again,

"Well, I could guess that much! Most mirrors don't show yourself  _dead_. But how did you know to check--" But here she was cut off by Lin,

"Naru, it's getting late, we should head back to the Inn."

Naru nodded,

"Ayako and Hara-san should have recovered enough by now."

Mai entered base first, seeing things to be much the same as when she had left it. Ayako and Bou-san were still sitting on the couch, though as far apart as possible. Masako was still in her arm chair; Mr. Sachi though (most likely at Masako's insistence) was now sitting in a chair drawn up next to Masako, looking a bit sullen at not being able to hover over her anymore. John was no longer sitting; instead he stood at the only window in the room, and upon hearing Mai enter, turned his gaze away from the view outside and smiled over at her.

Mai seated herself in the same chair as before, behind her Lin made for his computer chair, and Naru came to stand before them all. His dark eyes traveled over to Ayako and then Masako,

"How are you both feeling?"

Ayako glared at him, adjusting her ice bag from its place on the back of her head,

"At least I'm filled in now, how could you send me there again?! Look what happened!"

Naru sighed, " _It's not my fault you're so vain_..." he murmured under his breath.

"What was that?!" Ayako exclaimed with growing agitation. Naru looked to Masako pointedly, but she would not meet his eyes,

"Are you angry at me too for asking you to investigate the Hall of Mirrors?"

Just then she turned her brilliant blue eyes on Naru,

"No-- no, of course not. I agreed to it didn't I? I only wonder...well, I assume you've just returned from the hall, but I was not asked to go. Do you not think me competent enough to investigate anymore? I assure you I am quiet fine and unshaken by my experience--" Naru cut her off here,

"Hara-san, my choosing for you to stay had nothing to do with you being competent, but rather,  _able_. I would not ask you to join us in your state, next time, of course, I will be expecting you to participate to the best of your ability," Naru explained calmly. Relief washed over Masako's face,

"Yes, of course," she smiled. Across the room Mai felt as though she was going to be sick, Masako's pathetic ploys never seemed to end.

"Now if everyone feels up to it, it's time we headed back to the Inn," Naru suggested. He was met with silent nods and everyone stood.

"Yes, good idea," Mr. Sachi agreed, getting up from his seat, and reaching out to help Masako from hers (she of course by-passed his hand completely...), "the festival begins in just a few hours, do you have your stories written?"

Bou-san, halfway to the door, and John lingering near Masako's seat (just in case she  _did_ need help getting up), paused and exchanged looks.

"Well, you know, between doing exorcisms all day and being hypnotized by a cursed mirror, I couldn't seem find the time..." the monk answered sarcastically.

"But--" Mr. Sachi began to object-- immediately Naru held up his hand and said,

"Don't worry Mr. Sachi, it is all taken care of, we will all have plays written for your festival."

Mr. Sachi closed his mouth and nodded satisfied, but Bou-san wasn't. He opened his mouth to protest, but one meaningful look from Naru caused him to close it again.

" _He better have it taken care of..._ " the monk muttered.

Just then Mai glanced over at Lin who was lagging behind, he appeared to be printing out something, she raised her eyebrows,

_Their stories maybe?_

"Mai, what in the world did you do to your hair?" Ayako's voice suddenly asked as Mai proceeded into the hall, followed closely by Masako, Mr. Sachi, and John. Mai flinched as she remembered her hair was up in a messy half ponytail, she probably looked like an idiot...

"Oh, it's nothing," she said casually, and with a quick glance at Masako, added, "just something Naru wanted me to do..." as an after thought.

Mai smirked seeing the look on the medium's face and walked on ahead of them.

_Masako's not the only one who came play this game._

Mai reached the theater's entrance first and came to an uncertain halt. A moment later she was rejoined by the group she had left and by Naru and Lin who had been a little farther behind. There was a thoughtful silence, and everyone looked around at each other expectantly, though no one seemed to know who should act first. Quite confused at why they were pausing, Mr. Sachi glanced from one person to the next as if waiting for some one to fill him in, and when no one bothered, he sighed impatiently and marched towards the theater doors. Making a big show of holding one open, he looked meaningfully at Masako,

"After you," he encouraged when she did not move. Masako seemed to be ignoring him pointedly, she had no interest in Mr. Sachi escorting her through the door, her sights were set on Naru. As unsuspectingly as she could, the medium began to inch her way closer to Naru, who at the moment was off in thought, looking the door frame up and down, occasionally touching the wood. Mai, who was  _not_  off in thought, saw  _exactly_ what Masako was up to.

_Oh no you don't!_

Mai, gritting her teeth, and as fast as she could (without being noticed); she slipped herself past Ayako and made her way for Naru. She was just squeezing by Bou-san, vaguely listening to Mr. Sachi's questions at why nobody was going anywhere, when a strong hand seized her shoulder. Mai let out a surprised gasp and looked up to find Bou-san smirking down at her,

"Come on Mai, Naru can wait," he whispered with a wink. With one last glare in Masako's direction, Mai sighed in defeat and let Bou-san lead her away towards the doors.

As they approached a bewildered looking Mr. Sachi, Mai began to feel her heart race. Even though she had been fine last time with Bou-san's help, she still felt anxious walking through the doors. Perhaps noticing her reluctance, Bou-san gave her shoulder one last reassuring squeeze and then they stepped past the playwright and out the door.

"Masako, what's the meaning of this, aren't you coming too?" Mr. Sachi persisted helplessly, as taking Bou-san's lead, Ayako walked out the door. Lin was next to follow with Naru exiting in deep thought, faster than Masako could beg his assistance. With a slight frown the medium watched him go, only then did she hear Mr. Sachi's pleas and notice that she was one of the only ones left.

"Are you not feeling well enough to walk?" John asked, taking an attentive step towards her. The frown vanished from Masako's face; she drew herself up and attempted to regain her composure,

"I'm fine, I was just...thinking," she answered having collected herself again. John nodded,

"Good. We should probably follow them then..." he continued, stepping now towards the doors suggestively.

"Masako, are you sure you're alright? Come along, I'll take you back to my place and you can freshen up before the festival starts," Mr. Sachi entreated, leaving his position at the door to offer her his arm. But before he could get too far, Masako impulsively grabbed John's arm and all but lead him through the door. Standing at the top of the stairs Masako released his arm and sent him a kind smile,

"Thank you for offering your help," she said, speaking ever so carefully, and though she was smiling, her eyes shown at John seriously. Recovering from his surprise, John was able to catch her meaning just quick enough to answer,

"You're very welcome, anytime."

Mr. Sachi looked between them confusedly for a moment, but then relaxed and crossed over to Masako's side, smiling brightly,

"Oh, if I had known you had offered your help first, I would have never stepped in after you, my mistake," he told John good-naturedly, "shall we go then? We'll catch up with you later," he assured John as he took the medium's arm and lead her down the stairs.

"See you at the festival," he agreed, watching them go.

At the bottom of the stairs John thought Masako glanced up at him, but as soon as he met her eyes she looked away. The priest blinked puzzledly, it happen so fast, was it possible that he had imagined it?

"John!" Mai called a few yards away, she had been watching, waiting with Bou-san for him to come. Shaking his head of these thoughts, John smiled and called back to her, quickly descending the stairs.

Mai looked to John who had just joined them, curiously. She had been more than happy to see Masako whisked off with Mr. Sachi (delighted actually), but beneath his smile, somehow to her, John seemed sobered by it. Some time had past as they all walked in comfortable silence before a rather loud growl from Bou-san's stomach caused him to speak,

"Man, I can't wait to get back to the Inn, I'm starved," the monk moaned, putting a hand to his empty stomach.

"I know," John agreed with a grin, "maybe with Mai's help we could have a feast again?"

Bou-san laughed and gave Mai a teasing look,

"Oy, how about it Mai? Will you pull some strings for us?"

Mai held her head up defiantly and crossed her arms; even still she was smiling,

"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm not pulling any strings, if you're so hungry order more food," she answered stubbornly.

"Hey-- be nice," Bou-san pouted, "you know all our food goes on Naru's tab, he'll never let us order as much as we'd like."

Mai found that it was only with strict determination that she didn't crack at the monk's pathetic stare,

"Not my problem, and since when did you start obeying Naru?" she asked, still unwavering. Bou-san shot her a dark look and grumbled something underneath his breath. Drawing her attention away from her starving company, Mai looked to the festival grounds they had almost past.

Dusk was now falling sharply, the sky a rose colored pink. Here and there bright paper lanterns were being lit. The scent of lilies was strong now, as was the smell of the many festival foods being cooked and set out in the small stands. Mai smiled, this would be the first festival she had ever attended like this, and had a feeling she was going to enjoy it.

"Mmm, something's being deep fried," Bou-san said, smelling the air longingly. Feeling her resolve weakening, Mai shook her head and patted his shoulder,

"Maybe I'll order something extra tonight," she mentioned with a pitying smile. Just then her stomach rumbled and Bou-san raised his eyebrows,

"We might need a little more than extra..."

Mai shot him a playful glare as they stepped inside the Inn. Upon seeing that Naru, Lin, and Ayako had already gone ahead to their rooms, the three of them split up in the hall,

"I'll see you at dinner," Bou-san said meaningfully to Mai before he closed the door to his room. Mai unlocked the door to her own room and shut it with a sigh. Her eyes drifted over her unmade bed, her suitcase lying open on the floor, and the days old clothes strewn about. It occurred to her that she hadn't done anything but sleep and shower in her guest room her whole stay in Nozomi.

Halfheartedly, she leaned down and began to gather her abandoned shirts, skirts, and socks. Tossing the heap into her suitcase, she attempted to shut it, and when that didn't work, she shrugged and threw herself on her bed. She closed her eyes; it had been a  _very_ long day. The silence was soothing to her ears. Mai rolled onto her side and was met with a crinkling sound.

With surprise, and then realization, Mai reached into her pocket and pulled out the picture she had found earlier. She examined it steadily, but still she was struck with only a vague familiarity, certainly not enough to place where she had seen that face before.

_If I could only tell Naru about this, it would be so much easier for him to figure out..._

With her hunger and exhaustion catching up to her, Mai sat up and set the photo on her nightstand. Yawning she crossed her room to the window and opened it, the cool evening air wafting in, refreshing Mai's senses. After a few minutes of standing at the window, she felt rejuvenated enough to attempt to pick something out to wear to dinner and the festival.

Heaving her suite case onto the bed, Mai rummaged through the few outfits she brought. After spending quite some time going over the same clothes, knowing she had nothing even remotely nice (or clean now that she noticed...) she settled on the same light pink skirt she had worn on her first day in Nozomi and her last clean top, white with some lace detail.

 _I'll be under dressed I know, but what can I do?_  Mai thought looking at the outfit she assembled with a slight frown.

"Well the lest I can do is iron out this skirt," Mai told herself, and picking it up she decided to go find Mrs. Koku and ask if there was an iron she could borrow.

Stepping out into the hall she found it mostly deserted with everybody busy setting up for the festival and getting ready for dinner. Thoughtfully she walked along, wondering where she should look for Mrs. Koku when the woman actually found her.

"OH. HELLO DEAR. IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR NIKO, HE'S JUST GONE OUT TO THE FESTIVAL GROUNDS, BUT HE'LL BE BACK FOR DINNER," she shouted pleasantly.

A slight blush warming her cheeks Mai smiled and shook her head,

"Uh, no I wasn't looking for him; I was looking for you actually. I thought maybe you could tell me where I could find an iron?" she explained, holding up her skirt.

Mrs. Koku squinted at her and a look of dawning washed over her ancient face,

"IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE WEARING? GOOD HEAVENS NO GRAND DAUGHTER-IN-LAW OF MINE WILL BE CAUGHT GOING TO THE FESTIVAL WEARING THAT! COME FOLLOW ME AND WE'LL FIX THIS AT ONCE!" the old woman hollered in alarm, ushering Mai to follow.

_Grandd_ _aughter-_ _i_ _n-_ _l_ _aw!_

"Ah-- um-- it's okay, really...if I could just have an iron...?" Mai protested weakly, finding herself being lead across the Inn. In front of her Mrs. Koku tutted loudly, occasionally glancing back at her with looks of sympathy,

"WE'LL FIX THIS, WE WILL."

Finally, after what felt like forever, they reached a rather large room, done up much nicer than any of the others she had seen.

"Wow...this is very nice," Mai commented, examining the velvet curtains that hung over the floor to ceiling windows. Behind her Mrs. Koku was bustling around distractedly,

"HONEY MOON SUITE," she announced, as she paused for a moment, wiggling her eyebrows at Mai. Mai turned as red as the curtains she was standing next to and Mrs. Koku continued on her busy search, chuckling to herself.

"AH, HA!"

Mai jumped a foot at the sudden exclamation, and holding her chest she saw Mrs. Koku hobbling up to her holding out a dress she had just pulled from a near by closet. It was old, but not unstylish, and was made of light blue satin.

"MY THIRD DAUGHTER'S, A FAVORITE WITH THE MEN," she announced knowingly, thrusting it into Mai's hands as she snatched away her skirt.

"RUBISH..." she muttered loudly as turned around and threw it into the closet. With her mouth hanging open Mai watched her favorite skirt thrown into the abyss and the closet door slammed shut unceremoniously.

"WELL, I'LL LEAVE YOU TO CHANGE DEAR," Mrs. Koku shouted with a smirk and then she shuffled out the door, slamming it too. Mai cringed and waited for the ringing to stop in her ears before she even looked at the dress again. It was simple, with no designs printed across the satin, and a little longer than she was used to, but the cut was flattering and the slits in the sides went up high enough so she wouldn't feel like she was leg locked.

With a resigned sigh and one last look at the closet which her skirt was now lost in, she slipped on the dress. A moment later the door burst open and Mai gasped having just reached for the zipper in the back. Happily, Mrs. Koku hobbled towards her,

"WONDERFUL, YOU LOOK EVEN BETTER THAN MY SUKI DID IN THIS, AND SHE HAD BEEN MOST ADMIRED FOR HER BEAUTY, MET HER HUSBAND IN THIS YOU KNOW..." the old woman yelled cheerfully as she reached to help Mai zip up, but Mai was a bit tall and was ordered to bend down. Hunching down, she allowed Mrs. Koku to finish zipping her up.

"THERE, YOU'LL KNOCK MY GRANDSON DEAD," Mrs. Koku predicted, appraising her with satisfaction.

Mai turned red once again and fiddled with her hands under such warm scrutiny.

"Thank you, but about Niko--"

"WELL DON'T JUST STAND THERE AND TAKE MY WORD FOR IT, LOOK FOR YOURSELF," the old woman encouraged, ignoring her protests and taking her by the hand and leading her over to a full length mirror just before the bathroom.

Despite feeling uncertain about the whole thing, Mai had to admit she did look nicer than she could have hoped. The blue fabric shimmered in the last of the day's light and fit snugly to her body. Mai looked over to Mrs. Koku with a grateful smile,

"Thank you, you really didn't have to do any of this..."

Mrs. Koku narrowed her eyes and cupped a hand to her ear,

"WHAT WAS THAT DEAR, DID YOU SAY SOMETHING?"

"I was just saying thank you, this was so generous..."

"EH? YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO SPEAK UP DEARY," the old woman bellowed, straining to hear.

Beginning to feel flustered Mai tried again,

"I said thank you for--"

"HUH?"

"THANKYOU!" Mai shouted, red in the face.

Mrs. Koku smiled kindly at her,

"YOU'RE VERY WELCOME MY DEAR," she answered patting Mai on the cheek affectionately.

Mai smiled warmly back, but couldn't help but feel a bit awkward,

_She's only treating you this way because she thinks you're going to marry her grandson...._

"GOODNESS! LOOK AT THE TIME, DINNER HAS STARTED WITHOUT US!" the old woman cried with a glance at an old grandfather clock in the room, "LET'S HURRY BACK."

They reached the dining room in record time, the murmur of all those dining drifting through the doors they stood outside of.

"YOU LOOK STUNNING, I'M SURE NIKO IS WAITING FOR YOU, I'LL SEE YOU LATER AT THE FESTIVAL," Mrs. Koku assured, brushing off her dress here and there, and with a bright smile she turned and shuffled off for the kitchens, leaving Mai to walk into the dining room alone.

Mai was suddenly nervous, her insides felt alive. Naru. What would he think of her dress? Was Niko really waiting for her? What annoying thing would Masako say?

 _Wait,_ Mai thought with a smile,  _Masako is stuck with Mr. Sachi, she won't be at dinner._

And on that brighter note, Mai calmed herself, drew in a deep breath, and pushed open the doors. The noise overwhelmed her for a moment, there seemed to be more people here than usual, all the tables around her were filled with people talking excitedly, laughing loudly.

Feeling self conscious, Mai squeezed her way past the tightly packed tables, mumbling an apology every once and awhile. Finally Mai spotted her table, and fortunately no one seemed to have spotted her. Mai was hoping to make as quiet an entrance as possible.

"Hey, Mai! Oh.  _W_ _ow_ ," Bou-san greeted, waving her over with a grin.

The conversation ceased at the table and all eyes were suddenly on her. Mai's heart fell into her stomach. So much for a quiet entrance.

"Hi," Mai answered, moving towards the only open seat which was next to John.

"You look so nice Mai," John remarked warmly. Mai sat down, keeping her eyes low, but upon hearing this, smiled briefly up at John,

"Thanks."

" _Very nice,_ " Bou-san added, grinning at her proudly. Mai began to feel herself blush from these compliments.

"I'd say. Where did you get that dress? Looks a bit outdated, but...not bad,"Ayako commented, sizing her up with approval.

Ayako looked quite nice herself, wearing a stylish black dress with her hair pulled up and Mai was just about to say so, half jumping at the chance to change the subject and half really wishing to return the compliment, when Bou-san persisted,

"Outdated? How would you know? Oh,  _that's right..._ " Bou-san trailed off with a smirk while Ayako turned a dangerous shade of red,

"What are you trying to say, Takigawa-san?!" she hissed.

Bou-san quickly took a large bite of food. Mai felt relieved. As long as the attention was off her, and nobody mentioned her dress to Naru--

"Well, new dress or old, it doesn't matter. Mai looks great. Wouldn't you say... _Naru?_ " Bou-san continued, unabashed, after swallowing his large bite. Mai looked up, she couldn't help it. Across from her Naru's dark eyes met her nervous ones. There was a thoughtful moment of silence and then he took a sip of his tea,

"I don't see any difference from usual..."

Heat warmed Mai's cheeks,

_That Naru._

Pointedly, she crossed her arms and turned away from her boss. With her anger hardly subsided, a familiar voice suddenly filled her ears.

"Mai, wow. You look...amazing," Niko breathed; staring.

Her cheeks now flushed from self consciousness and not anger. Mai turned her attention to Niko, who now stood at their table, with a pleasant smile, his compliments quite welcome in the wake of Naru's indifference.

"Thank you Niko, you look very nice as well."

And he did, wearing smart looking black slacks and a crisp white dress shirt. Niko received this compliment with a blush of his own,

"Oh, it's nothing, not compared to you..." he murmured modestly.

" _Ugh,_ _really?_ " Ayako whispered under her breath.

" _You're just jealous,_ " Bou-san whispered back knowingly. Ayako fixed the monk with a glare,

"Excuse me, what's to be of jealous in that? She's wearing a dress that just fell out of dusty closet and he's drooling all over himself!"

Despite her objections, Bou-san merely smiled,

" _Maybe, but you_ _'re still_ _jealous..."_

"That dress, I don't know why, but it's kind of familiar..." Niko spoke thoughtfully. Mai smiled nervously,

_Oh you know, your grandmother lent it to me, it was your aunt's, the same dress she had met her husband in, actually, isn't that wonderful?_

"Hm, I don't know why that is..." she lied; uncomfortably aware that she was sitting next to a priest and that Naru's eyes were burning a hole in her.

"You haven't ordered anything, aren't you hungry?" Niko suddenly asked, noticing that there was no food placed in front of her.

"Oh," Mai said suddenly remembering that she was, "thank you, I am, I just haven't ordered yet..."

Suddenly Niko was all eagerness,

"Well, let me set you up with something. I'll be sure to get you something special, just a moment--" he said breathlessly, leaving the table before he even finished his sentence,

"Niko--" Mai called, and impulsively she grabbed his hand to stop him.

The young man turned around and froze, his eyes moving to where her warm hand clasped his. There was no stopping the blush that rushed to Mai cheeks, and no taking back what she had just done, accidental or not.

"Ah-- uh..." she mumbled, flustered by the awkward situation she suddenly found herself in, still holding his hand, unsure if she should let it go, "Please, uh, don't worry about a large meal, I'd be happy with a small one..."

Still staring at her hand grasping his, Niko nodded, and answered slowly, as if his mind was on delay,

"Alright, sure, a small meal..."

Finally feeling it safe to let go, Mai released his hand, and Niko drew it to his side, giving her one last look before dashing off for the kitchen.

The silence at the table, when Mai returned her attention to it, was unbearable. No one even pretended to eat, they all just stared, with looks of mingled surprise and amusement, Naru being the only exception (well and Lin too, who seemed completely detached from the situation and was off in his own, much more important thoughts).

"So Mai, does you're dinner come with a side of Niko?" Bou-san asked, his lips twitching in his effort not to laugh, across from him Ayako was losing the fight as a few snorts escaped her.

"Shut up," Mai snapped, not in the mood for his jibes, but the monk would not be shaken off so easily, not with her so cornered as she was.

"Is this something we should expect now? You two walking around holding hands?" he persisted, smiling at her lightly.

Mai narrowed her eyes, her foot began to move around, so help her he would not get out of there unscathed. Blindly, her foot bumped against someone's and she hardly had a moment to wonder if it was Bou-san's when Naru looked up sharply at her. In horror her foot retreated, desperately she reached for her cup of tea, only to realize that she had none. This dinner had gone from bad to worse.

Mai was forced to endure prying looks and embarrassed silence until her food arrived. Unfortunately, it  _did_  come with a side of Niko, the young man drawing up a chair to sit on the other side of John, looking around the priest to gaze at Mai. It was no surprise that by this time Mai had lost her appetite; she looked down at her food, trying to seem tempted to eat it. Decidedly, Mai reached for her tea cup, and took a long sip.

"How is it? I had them make something off menu," Niko spoke, hoping to be met with looks of delight. Mai's mouth suddenly went dry; regardless of how much tea she just finished drinking. Her meal  _looked_  good, it  _smelled_  good, but at this moment Mai didn't think she could bring herself to even lift her chopsticks. Finally something started to get through to Niko, he noticed her hesitancy,

"Wait-- how stupid of me, are you allergic to something in there? I should have asked, considering your allergy to lilies, I should have known you would have more-- Mai, I'm so sorry, I didn't ask--" Niko rambled, looking anxiously at her. Mai stared at Niko stunned, and then was filled with guilt.

"Lilies? You're allergic to lilies? Since when--" Bou-san interrupted, but at that moment Mai started to speak loudly over him,

"Allergic? No, it's not that. I was just waiting for it to cool!" she exclaimed brightly, and with that, took an enthusiastic bite. Mai glanced over at Niko, pleasantly surprised,

"This is really good Niko, thank you."

The young man beamed under her praise,

"It was nothing, I'm glad you like it."

Mai nodded smiling and took another bite, her hunger returning with a vengeance.

"Oh no," Niko spoke, his eye catching on a window just beyond Mai, "it's getting late, the festival will be starting soon. I better get going; I have to help some friends set up. You will be there, won't you?" he said, appealing to Mai in the last part. Mai took a sip of tea and answered kindly,

"Sure, we'll see you there."

"Great," Niko replied satisfied, then gave Mai a small bow, and was out the door. A short time later Naru stood,

"If Mai is finished, we should be going too," he announced. Mai stood and met him eye for eye,

"I am done," she answered, feeling a bit irritated with him, though she didn't quite know why.

"Good, let's go then," he replied and then walked from the table, Lin following closely. Next went Ayako and John. Mai stood in her spot for a moment, glaring after Naru's retreating figure when a nudge from Bou-san coaxed her forward. Mai glanced up at him, intending to send him a sharp look, and was surprised to see him gazing down at her with something like understanding.

"I'm sure he thinks you look beautiful tonight, even if he won't admit it," the monk elaborated. Mai's expression softened,

"Thanks Bou-san," she smiled and the two of them walked out on better terms with each other.

It was a short trip to the festival grounds and the SPR group found themselves migrating there in a huge throng of people. The air seemed to buzz with excitement, everyone around them pointed, shouted, laughed, whispered, and gasped. And this was just on the way, by the time they finally did reach the town square where the festivities were being held, hardly anything could be heard above the celebration music being played, and hardly anything could be seen besides the back of the head of the person crowded in front.

A few fireworks in the shape of lilies were sent off into the night air and Mai found herself smiling and clapping. Passing by many of the brightly decorated stands, old women and young men called out their wares, begging them to stop for a look, or grab a bite to eat of their delicious food. Mai was fascinated by it all, the rush of colors, the happy sounds, the amount of people. So that they wouldn't get separated Bou-san had linked arms with her and ahead of them Ayako had snatched up John as her partner. Naru and Lin forged a path through the crowds.

"Mmmm, smell that? I think that's what was being deep fried earlier," Bou-san remarked, leaning in so she could hear him, as they past one of the many stands selling food. Mai laughed and gave the monk a look,

"Bou-san, you can't still be hungry? Didn't you have enough at dinner?"

"Maybe I would be full if someone had kept their end of the deal..." he answered, watching her from the corner of his eye.

"Hey!" Mai cried, swatting his shoulder.

"Ouch, Mai!" Bou-san protested, grabbing his still tender shoulder.

"Oh. Sorry. I forgot," Mai apologized with an innocent smile, "How about I buy you that deep fried thing after all..."

But just then a voice Mai would know anywhere shouted above the crowd, and after a moment her worst fears were confirmed: Masako had found them. It had been a faint hope, but Mai had thought that maybe with so many people around, they might never be able to met up, but alas... there was the medium standing before them in all her glory, giggling behind her sleeve as she just conned Naru into saying she looked 'nice'.

 _Nice? Bah!_  Mai thought angrily,  _n_ _ice and vain!_

Bou-san sent Mai a sympathetic look and patted her shoulder.

"Isn't this just marvelous!" Mr. Sachi exclaimed, waving a hand at all the merriment around him.

"It is exciting," Masako agreed (still giddy from having extracted a compliment from Naru).

"Quite. And to think this isn't even the best part! The play has still to be preformed!" Mr. Sachi reminded, with a proud glance at the finished outdoor stage.

"Joji!" a voice suddenly cried, "Joji!"

Everyone looked in the general direction of the calls and a moment later Nari emerged from the sea of people surrounding her.

"Nari! Good, you're here. You need to get to the stage immediately; the ceremony will be beginning soon..." Mr. Sachi spoke hurriedly, now sending the stage anxious looks, checking his watch. The actresses smiled faltered,

"Yes, yes I know. I'll be there on time I promise, but--" she said, recovering her smile, "I had to see you before we started, I'd think it bad luck not too...what do you think of my dress? I had it sent from Tokyo."

Mr. Sachi went from nervous, to uncomfortable, to obliging.

"Yes, it's quite beautiful. Very similar to Masako's. You had yours especially  _made_  in Tokyo, did you not?" Mr. Sachi remarked, his gaze shifting to the medium. It was clear which dress he preferred.

A frown descended on Mai's face as she glanced at the actress. Nari looked completely crestfallen. She knew what must be running through her head and could feel the cold knot almost as if it had settled in her own stomach just then.

_That Masako._

The only consolation for Mai was the expression that had settled on her rival's face. She was still trying to appear composed, relaxed and smiling, but Mai could see the crack in her mask, a dark line revealing her discomfort in being compared.

"Oh, from Tokyo too. What a pleasant coincidence," was all Nari could manage after Masako had stole all of her thunder. Mr. Sachi glanced at his clock and back up at Nari,

"Yes, yes we can see Tokyo's finest dresses put to their best between you two, that is for sure, but if you do not hurry back to the stage, Nozomi will not get to see it's finest play put to  _it's_  best," Mr. Sachi said urgently, as the crowds around them began to thin out, the majority of people thinking along the same lines: the ceremony was to begin soon. Nari nodded earnestly, her cheeks flushed from the unexpected compliment, and with a much lighter heart than before, she turned and hurried off for the stage.

"Good heavens, what Nozomi would do without me, I hardly wish to know..." he muttered under his breath, and then noticing how alone they were, added "shall we then?"

Everyone agreed and as expected Mr. Sachi, with Masako on his arm, lead the way to the stage. At Bou-san's side Mai continued to look around, admiring the paper lanterns with their orange glow in the inky dark, and the bright fireflies they attracted. They past under strand after strand of lilies over head, a fresh burst of perfume greeting them with each step. The stars above glimmered in numbers Mai could hardly imagine in Tokyo, and a warm wind stirred the balmy night soothingly. It all appeared so magical, like a dream, and Mai could see why everyone in Nozomi looked so forward to this.

Upon approaching, the stage was just visible above the heads of those who came before them.

"Hm. We've missed out on all the good spots, but never mind it. I have my place reserved and I am sure I can take  _one_  of you with me," Mr. Sachi announced. His offer was generally made, but there was no doubt  _who_  it was intended for. Especially when he immediately stepped towards the medium,

"Come Masako, we must hurry if we are to get there before they start..." he encouraged, holding out an inviting hand.

"Mr. Sachi," Naru suddenly said, his voice stopping Masako in her tracks, and consequently Mr. Sachi too.

"Yes? What is it? You can see the rush I'm in--"

"Please take these with you; they will need to be turned in," Naru instructed, taking a large section of paper from Lin and handing it over to the playwright. For a brief moment Mr. Sachi looked as if he might complain (you should have had them turned in by now!), but wisely decided not to and took them. A moment later they vanished into a sea of people.

Two spot lights suddenly swung around and focused on the stage, two large curtains suddenly parted. The festival music died in that instant. Mai bounced up and down on her toes trying to see over and around the tall man in front of her, but it was no use. She was too short. To her left Ayako gazed at the stage perfectly fine, being tall to begin with and then adding three inch heels. To her right John seemed to be  _just_ tall enough and was fortunate to have a rather small woman standing in front of him. On the other side of John was Naru and Lin, and of course they had no problem, they were in no danger of anyone there being tall enough to block out  _their_  sight. Mai let out a sigh and crossed her arms, then vainly bounced around on her feet again.

 _Maybe I could get John to trade me places, I might be able to see a little of the stage then..._ Mai thought with an uncertain look at the priest. Suddenly Mai felt herself being lifted off her feet. She let out half a gasp before she realized that it was Bou-san behind her who had picked her up and was now depositing her on his shoulders. The stage was now clear in sight; Mai blushed at this kind gesture,

"Bou-san, thank you, but are you sure? What about your shoulder..?" Mai wondered gently. Bou-san glanced up at her and winked,

"Not a problem, it only bothers me if someone smacks it."

Mai blushed further and laughed nervously,

"Sorry about that."

Just then a loud, rather old, voice resounded across the festival grounds.

"Welcome to the 4th annual Festival of Lilies!" Cheers and clapping exploded from the giant crowd gathered around the stage. On Bou-san's shoulders Mai clapped along with a smile.

"As you all well know, this festival has been held every year after our Mr. Miyuki's passing away, honoring the magic and creativity he brought to us. Today is the start of what will be a glorious week. Tonight represents the man himself, the husband, the playwright, Mr. Miyuki. According to tradition, I have with me one play written by each and  _every_ man in this town, one of these plays will have in it the spirit of Mr. Miyuki, the creativity he was beloved for, the one man who has written this play will be dubbed Mr. Miyuki and will represent the great man for the rest of the festival, what an honor I must say", the man on the stage announced, his voice, though old, was powerful and light. There was more clapping at this pause, and when it died down, the man continued,

"Now, from this pile, I will draw out the play and the man channeling our Mr. Miyuki, drum roll please..." the man continued, holding a hand over a very large stack of papers, glancing at the band off stage with a wink. The crowd laughed at this and a drum roll started promptly. Mai sat on Bou-san's shoulders in suspense, watching the old man curiously as he waved his hand about the stack of plays, squinting down at them, picking up a few, then putting them down. The drum roll pressed on and Mai found herself becoming anxious to hear the winner,

"What if it's  _you_  Bou-san?" she whispered down at the monk. Bou-san looked up at her with a grin,

"Then it would be Lin, because everybody knows I didn't write any play."

Mai laughed and shook her head. Looking back up, she was just in time to see the old man draw a paper from the middle of the stack. He held it up significantly and the roll drum ceased. A hush settled over all as he approached the mic and cleared his throat,

"...would a Mr. Niko Koku please step up to the stage?"

Murmurs and scattered applause issued from the audience as they all strained to look around to see if this Mr. Koku was near them.

" _Niko Koku,_ as in the heir to the Koku Inn,  _Niko Koku?_ " someone shouted from the crowd.

"NIKO! OUR NIKO IS MR. MIYUKI!" someone exclaimed from the sea of people.

Sitting dumbfounded on Bou-san's shoulders, exchanging bewildered looks with the monk, Mai recognized the voice as being old Mr. Koku's.

"NIKO HURRY! GET UP TO THAT THE STAGE AND BE SURE TO CALL OUT TO YOUR DARLING MISS MAI!" a second voice cried.

With horror, Mai knew it to be Mrs. Koku's. Whispers spread like wild fire through the crowd, the end result being some people glancing back at her with amused smiles.

" _She's staying at the Inn isn't she?"_

" _Yes, I was there just this morning. He's going to propose, I heard from a very reliable source..."_

" _Propose_?  _Their already engaged, engaged!_ "

" _What? Surely not, not yet at least. Maybe he'll do it tonight? Right here on stage before all of us!"_

" _Oh my goodness, how romantic would that be? Oooh I hope he does!_ "

Mai felt her world sliding out beneath her, many more people were now turning to look at her, the proposal rumors getting from person to person, spread like a highly contagious cold. Giggles and shouts of disbelief were heard from as far as the front of the crowd within moments. Mai was suddenly struck with the urge to get down from Bou-san's shoulders; up there anyone could pick her out.

"Bou-san, let me down," she demanded in a strained voice.

The monk attempted to look grave, but his eyes betrayed him, twinkling at her in amusement. Swiftly she was let down as Niko's voice filled the air,

"I am so honored; I can hardly believe that this is happening..."

"Well it is, you're our new Mr. Miyuki!" the old man announced and loud applause rang out from the audience.

"THAT'S OUR NIKO!" Mr. and Mrs. Koku yelled from somewhere in the crowd.

Standing again, Mai had no hope to see the stage, and was all the happier for it. Her cheeks felt on fire and she was glad for the dim lighting around the stage. Determinedly she stared straight ahead at the back of the tall man in front of her, feeling the eyes of every one of her SPR team mates boring into her. Naru's especially.

"...and your play will be preformed within the hour. Now Mr. Miyuki, who is this Miss Mai you're supposed to mention?" the old man asked curiously.

If it was possible Mai blushed deeper and began to take small steps back,

_Why? Why does this have to happen to me?_

"Uh-- well...she's a friend of mine--"

"NIKO! A FRIEND? IS THAT WHAT YOU CALL YOUR LOVE?" Mrs. Koku protested from the audience.  

Now Mai really did feel the world slipping out beneath her feet, the people around her laughing and loudly whispering more rumors. She felt trapped; she had to get away...

"No, I mean yes...I mean she  _really_ is a friend of mine, but just a friend--" Niko was now sounding a bit flustered and embarrassed.

Mai felt his words with mild relief; he was uncomfortable with all this just like her,

_He's not going to propose..._

Just then a firm hand took Mai's elbow and she was suddenly being lead away as Mrs. Koku's voice rang through the air,

"JUST A FRIEND? NIKO DON'T BE SILLY--"

Fortunately, because of her surprise, Mai hardly heard this last part, and instead found herself absorbed in staring up at Naru's face. He said nothing and not so much as glanced at her the whole while he was leading her away. Mai had no idea where he was taking her. To the theater? Back to the Inn?  _Why_ he was taking her was an even more pressing question. Mai stared and stared at him, but received no answers.

They where halfway through the festival grounds when he made a small turn and lead her up to one of the many food stands lining the square. All around them was emptiness and silence, excepting the distant voices coming from the stage. Naru let go of her arm and cleared his throat. Slouching in a chair, half asleep, was young man. Mai was surprised to even see him. At this noise he shot up, running a hand through his hair, looking around wildly until he spotted Mai and Naru, and then he relaxed a bit.

"Oh, uh-- hi, how can I help you?" he wondered, glancing at the stage still crowded with people and back at them uncertainly. For the first time Naru looked over at Mai, his dark eyes were unreadable,

"What you would like?"

Mai eyes went from Naru, to the young man, to the food behind him, and then back to Naru again. Was this some kind of joke? Why was he doing this?

"She'll have an ice cream," Naru ordered, apparently unwilling to wait for Mai's recovery. The young man sent a look at Mai, then nodded at Naru and turned around to scoop some out of a basin near him. Mai spent the next few moments trying to catch Naru's eye, hoping to find some answer there as to why he had pulled her away from the stage and was now ordering her  _ice cream_. But Naru's gaze never left the young man, watching him scoop the ice cream and then walk over and hand it off to him.

"Here you are, that will be..." the young man trailed off as he strained to see what the sign said. Naru placed some money on the counter and handed Mai her ice cream,

"Uh-- right..." the young man said, picking up the money and putting in his till, stealing bewildered looks at Naru and Mai every now and then.

"Thank you," Naru said and turned to lead Mai away, but then the man spoke again,

"Hey-- why aren't you at the stage?"

Naru paused and looked back at him,

"Why aren't you?"

The young man blinked at him,

"Well, I've got to watch the stand, being the youngest you know, the job falls on me..." the young man answered and then persisted thoughtfully, "yeah, nobody ever thinks of Kenji , even though he's just a year older than me. I've never gotten to go to the stage, can you believe that? I remember aunt Momo tried to help me once..."

Silently, Naru and Mai slipped away. Mai licked her ice cream, but could hardly taste it. It seemed all her senses had left her, she could hear nothing but Naru stepping along side her, she could see nothing but his face, she could smell nothing but the usual sent of tea that accompanied him.

"Here," Naru suddenly said.

Pulling her eyes away from his face, Mai noticed that they had arrived at small picnic table, set up next to another food stand, the owner of this one an old woman, who was snoring away. Obediently, Mai sat down, licking around the edges of her ice cream as it melted fast. Naru chose to remain standing. So many questions sprang into Mai's head, there were so many questions she wanted to ask, but every time she opened her mouth, nothing seemed to come out, she couldn't bring herself to say anything.

"You know something Mai, what is it?" Naru asked, his voice breaking the silence. Mai froze mid-lick.

"Huh?"

"You know something, what is it?" Naru persisted.

_Is he talking about the man, the picture? Not this again!_

Mai sat there struggling to compose herself, desperately searching for a convincing answer. In the mean time Naru's dark eyes found hers, across from her he placed his hands on the table and leaned forward, his expression now very serious.

"Mai, if you know something you're not telling me..."

A strange sense of courage suddenly washed over Mai and matched Naru's serious tone,

"There's nothing to tell."

Naru drew back and crossed him arms,

"You're lying."

Mai licked her ice cream defiantly. All the sickly sweet thoughts and visions that had filled her head a moment ago popped like a soap bubble. For a moment there she had found herself hoping against hope that this was Naru's way of rescuing her, saving her from her misery and embarrassment, but she saw his motives clearly now. He simply wanted her alone so he could grill her about what happened earlier; well she wasn't going to make this easy for him.

"I don't know  _what_  you're talking about..."

Naru gazed at her through narrowed eyes,

"Where were you Mai? I know you didn't just fall behind."

Mai took a large bite of cone and chewed for a long while, glaring at Naru the entire time,

"Believe me or not, I did fall behind," Mai answered stubbornly.

Naru met this answer with icy silence and Mai smiled lightly back, she would not freeze to death under his cold stare.

"Oy-- Mai!"

Mai's head snapped around to see Bou-san walking up to them, followed by the rest of the SPR team and Mr. Sachi.

"What's going on? You just took off..." he asked when reaching them, looking to Naru suspiciously, "am I missing something?"

"No, nothing," Mai answered brightly, "ice cream?" she offered.

Bou-san sat down next to Mai, eyeing Naru darkly, but accepted what was left of her bribe.

"Nothing, huh?" he persisted, still unconvinced, as he took a bite of the cone.

"Well, Naru was nice enough to buy me this," Mai answered, smiling ever sweeter up at her highly annoyed boss.

"My, what's going on here? Late night munchies? Couldn't this wait?" Mr. Sachi declared when he came close enough to see Bou-san taking another bite of ice cream. Masako looked from Mai to Naru and back. A smile pulled at Mai's lips.

_So what if this whole thing was a set up to bribe me into talking? Masako doesn't have to know..._

Deviously, Mai sent Naru another sweet smile, but faltered when he frowned at her and looked away. Masako caught this exchange and a fresh smile broke out across her face. Mai crossed her arms and stole Bou-san's last bite.

"Hey--" he protested.

"Is everything alright?" John asked, looking with concern at Mai. Mouth full of ice cream, Mai swallowed what she could and smiled warmly back at him.

"Everything is fine, we should probably head back before the play starts," Naru announced briskly, refusing to so much as glance at Mai. Mr. Sachi looked relieved at this suggestion,

"Yes, yes good thinking," he agreed, holding out his arm for Masako to take. Bou-san stood and gave Mai his arm. Walking back, the monk whispered in her ear,

"So what  _really_  happened?"

Mai shrugged thoughtfully,

"Ice cream, I guess."

Bou-san looked confused by this answer, but didn't push it as Mai seemed bothered by the subject. They reached the crowds once again and somehow Mai found herself standing behind an even taller person than before.

"I can give you a lift again..." Bou-san offered gently, but Mai shook her head. Enough was enough for one night; she wasn't about to risk being seen again. She would just stand and listen to Niko's play. The lights swung around and the curtains opened again, romantic music from the band filled the air. Nari's voice rang out,

"Ah, a place to rest after my long travels..."

Mai had a sudden vision of a fair maiden coming upon an olden day Inn. Her cheeks began to heat up again.

"Come in, please miss take shelter here!" a second voice, a male's, called out in reply.

"No, no, no..." Mr. Sachi protested, spotting Mai just standing there, staring at the back of the man in front of her, "This will never do, you can't see the stage!"

"Oh-- uh, Mr. Sachi, I'm fine...really," Mai tried to resist, but the playwright was already taking her hand and leading her off and around the crowd. For a second time that night, she was spirited away.

_Well, at least this can't end with ice cream and a surprise attack..._

"Here, how is this?" Mr. Sachi said, sounding satisfied as he held out his arms, gesturing for her to behold and admire the vast stage. Mai was much closer to it now and standing on a side where people were not packed in so densely.

"Thank you, this is much better," Mai whispered as the fair maiden accepted a wonderful meal from the obliging Inn keeper. Mr. Sachi beamed,

"Think nothing of it, it is my pleasure."

Just then someone caught Mai's eye, and apparently Mr. Sachi's too. A woman standing some feet off, quite alone, glanced back over in their direction, her blonde hair shining in the moon light, her eyes holding a hard glint in them.

It was over in an instant, her attention in the next moment was on the stage, in which the fair maiden had now come down sick and the Inn keeper was nursing her back to health. Mr. Sachi's smile vanished, he whispered to Mai seriously,

"If anyone questions you being here, you can tell them you are here on the compliments of Mr. Joji Sachi, they should not press matters then..." Mai followed his gaze to the woman and nodded slowly.

"Good," Mr. Sachi declared, sounding again like his cheerful self, "please enjoy the show!"

And with that the playwright hurried off again, most likely to rejoin his dearest Masako. Mai then tried to return her attention to the play unfolding, but found again and again her attention was really on the woman ahead of her.

There was something about her, something almost familiar, but alas Mai couldn't place it. With her attention so consumed, it was easy to see how Mai lost track of time and the play. She was finally returned to her senses by a particularly loud piece of music, and looked up just in time to see Nari accept the Inn keeper's proposal and throw herself into his arms. The curtains closed, the music died, and thunderous applause filled the air.

Clapping just as hard as the people around her, though she hardly saw any of the play, Mai saw the woman in front of her clap for a moment and then disappear into the crowd. Mai had half an inclination to follow her, but decided to stay put, least she run into the Kokus while tailing the woman.

The people around her now began to thin out, all laughing and talking of the marvelous play, none of them even thinking of questioning Mai. Quite alone now, Mai began to wander towards where the rest of SPR had been. Halfway there she was met with Mr. Sachi,

"Ah-- Mai! Just the girl I wanted to see! What did you think? Was Nari not wonderful as May?"

"May?" Mai asked distractedly, as Mr. Sachi linked arms with her, seeming all joy and excitement.  

"Yes-- yes, you remember. The wandering maiden whom the Inn keeper fell in love with!"

Mai felt her cheeks tinge with a blush,

_He named her May..._

"Oh, yes," Mai finally answered, "Nari was great!"

Mr. Sachi beamed,

"Yes, everybody seems to agree to it being one of her best performances, some say to my credit," the playwright remarked with a wink. Mai merely smiled strainedly.

"Hey-- Mai! There you are, you've got to stop disappearing on me like that!" Bou-san scolded as soon as the two of them came into view. Mai crossed over to Bou-san and linked arms with him, smiling warmly,

"Sorry, it's not my fault I keep getting carried away."

Mr. Sachi bustled forward toward Masako,

"Masako, my dear-- I haven't even gotten the chance to ask you how you liked the play?" he said expectantly. Masako smiled politely and admitted to having it like it quite a bit,

"I especially liked the female lead, May. Niko is quite creative for coming up with such an  _original_ character," the medium answered, emphasizing the word  _original_  while sending Mai a meaningful look. Mai pretended to not hear her and instead looked to the rest of the SPR group.

Over the next few minutes Mr. Sachi was able to obtain almost everyone's opinion of the play and to his satisfaction. John thought it nice and light-hearted, Bou-san thought it amusing and couldn't help here giving Mai a teasing look, Ayako thought it a bit boring, but admitted there was some fine acting. Neither Lin nor Naru had a comment on it.

"Well I'm quite happy you all liked it, but I'd say it's getting late. Masako, shall we turn in?" Mr. Sachi suggested, looking around to see the festival grounds emptying out. Masako nodded and said goodnight to them all, giving Naru one last look, before being lead away by the playwright. Mai attempted to make eye contact with Naru, but he seemed to be ignoring her.

 _Fine then, be that way_ , Mai thought, crossing her arms. Bou-san patted her on the shoulder and yawned,

"I think we better head in too."

There was murmured agreement. Like always Naru lead the way, closely followed by Lin. Shortly behind them was Ayako. Mai and Bou-san walked together arm and arm and John kept stride along side them.

"Hey-- hey wait!" a voice suddenly called after them. The three of them halted and looked back over their shoulders. Breathlessly, Nari came running up to them, her arms laden with roses,

"I'm-- I'm sorry to-- to bother you, but have you seen Joji?" she panted, looking to all of them anxiously. By the way her face glowed, Mai had the sinking feeling that Nari wished to hear him congratulate her on her great performance. Bou-san exchanged looks with John and Mai before speaking,

"Uh-- yeah, just a little while ago. He was, uh-- tired and was heading back to his house."

Nari's smile faltered,

"What?"

Mai frowned and nudged Bou-san in the ribs,

" _Nice touch_."

"He was heading home?" Nari repeated, the glow leaving her cheeks.

"Yes, but he spoke of nothing but your great performance all night. I'm sure he can't wait to talk to you about it tomorrow morning," Mai interjected reassuringly. Maybe she was over doing it a bit, but she felt for Nari, and would try and do anything to keep her spirits up. Nari smiled weakly and nodded,

"Oh yes, of course. Well...thank you, I guess I'll be going."

And with a polite bow she turned and walked off, her glow and excitement gone. Mai watched Nari go with a heavy heart,

_That Masako!_

"Come on Mai," Bou-san persisted gently.

Moving a long again, Mai was thoughtful and silent, hardly noticing the stands being closed up for the night, the lanterns being extinguished, or the crowds they waded through getting to the Inn. Mai might not have noticed anything at all until she reached her room if it wasn't for catching sight of a familiar face: Niko.

He was standing in a large group of people, off to the side of the Inn, his grandfather and grandmother pressed in near him. His eye caught her eye, he gave a smile, a slight blush, then that was all and he returned his attention back to his adoring company.

Mai found herself blushing, struck with an odd sense of embarrassment. His play more or less had been about her, what was she to make of that? His very grandparents wanted them married, how was she to deal with that? The very dress she was wearing tonight was his aunt's! Thinking these thoughts Mai only blushed deeper.

Mai crossed into the Inn hearing and seeing virtually nothing and was surprised when Bou-san stopped her.

"Mai look, refreshments. Do you want any?" the monk asked, eyeing the table they had set up longingly. Pulled from her thoughts Mai smiled encouragingly,

"I think I'll just go to my room, but you go ahead and eat Bou-san."

For a moment he looked reluctant, but then John assured him he would see Mai to the hall and he nodded, wishing Mai pleasant dreams.

John saw Mai safely to the hall, and then after hearing her own assurances of making it to her room alright, John wished Mai a warm goodnight of his own and entered his room. Alone again, but not sorry for it, as she only wished now to go to sleep, Mai made sluggish progress to her door.

_10..._

_11..._

_12..._

_13..._

Mai counted in her head before finally coming to a halt at her room:  _14_. Drowsily Mai patted her sides for her key, a moment passed and then alarm struck her,

_My key! This dress doesn't have pockets! I've locked myself out!_

This problem was almost too much for Mai in her current state and at that moment she almost had half a mind to just sleep next to her door. Mai looked down the hall; it was a  _long_ way back to Bou-san. Resignedly, not sure if she even had the strength to make it, Mai took her first step. But wait-- someone was coming towards her, a tall figure was moving down the hall. Suddenly Mai was awake, it was Naru.

 _He's not in his room yet?_ Mai thought, glancing at his door a few feet from hers. When he got closer Mai could see that he hadn't noticed her yet, or anything for that matter, he seemed lost in thought. Automatically he arrived at his door, not so much as blinking in Mai's direction and began searching for his keys. Mai was frozen in a moment of indecision,

_Should I say something?_

Naru found his key and was bringing it to his lock,

_Well, if don't now I'm going to miss my chance--_

"Naru..." Mai spoke up as he turned the handle and made to step inside.

"Mai?"

Mai adverted her eyes, feeling a blush creeping its way up her neck,

_Dang it! Why does he always have to look at me like that?_

Naru stepped back from his door and observed her for a moment,

"Is there something you want to tell me?" he asked in a lowered voice, stepping towards her.

Mai suddenly looked up in a panic, she had given him the wrong impression, he thought she meant to confess to her encounter...

"Uh-- actually, no. It's just; I seem to be locked out," Mai answered, glancing at her door and then back at him hopefully.

Naru froze where he stood, his arms crossed. For a moment Mai thought he might not help her with the hard way he was staring at her, but then he sighed and relented, brushing her out of the way so he could inspect her door,

"I'm not even going to ask how you locked yourself out," he said giving her a look as he reached for the door handle.

"Well there are not exactly any pockets in this dress..." Mai muttered defensively.

Suddenly there was a click and the door swung open. Naru stood back satisfied and then turned to go back to his room. Mai stared into her room stunned,

"Naru, how did you...?"

But her young boss was already opening his door again. Attempting to recover from her surprise, Mai shook her head and walked into her room, but just before she closed the door she thought she heard,

"You looked beautiful tonight."


	6. In Which: Mai Shares A Secret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back again with another chapter! Things may get a little chilly for Mai in this chapter...but things are still plenty hot between herself and Naru! If you squint, you'll see jealous!Naru makes another cameo. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy!

**Day Four**

**5:30am**

**The Koku Inn**

Mai rolled over in her sleep, her hand slapping the vacant pillow next to her. Her room was still and silent, gray light slipping through her window in the pre-dawn. Not for a moment as she dreamed of Niko, Naru, blue dresses, and ice cream, did it occur to her that her peace was about to be disturbed.

With a _bang_ Mai's door flew open and then slammed closed. Sharp foot steps, like heels on a hardwood floor, approached, and with a swoosh that sounded like curtains being thrown open, pale light shown against Mai face.

Mai was quite suddenly yanked from her dreams. With a start her eyes flew open.

"Wha- Ayako...?" she stammered, her voice cracking from sleep. At the end of the bed with her hands on her hips stood a very irritated looking priestess.

"Come on, get in the shower, I'll pick out your clothes..."

And without waiting for an answer the tall woman bent down and began digging through her suitcase,

"Eh, these smell-- don't tell me you haven't been washing your clothes?!" she cried, surfacing with a t-shirt she held out in disgust.

Still in a daze, Mai decided to overlook the insult (even though embarrassingly true...) and cut to the chase. With a glance at the clock, Mai looked back to Ayako in confusion,

"Ayako, what are you doing in my room-"

"It was unlocked."

"-at five in the morning...?"

The priestess dropped the t-shirt and crossed her arms, a satisfied smirk formed on her red lips,

"Well, if I had to be up at this time, I sure wasn't going to let you keep sleeping."

Mai's brain struggled to keep up. This was not an answer she understood. Helplessly she glanced at the clock again and back to Ayako,

"But it's  _five_ in the morning!"

Ayako examined her nails,

"Yeah, well I didn't like it either, but tough. Now get showered."

Mai stared hard at the woman, trying to understand some part of this.

_This is a joke._ _J_ _ust some stupid joke Ayako's playing on me...._

And on that thought Mai threw herself back down in bed and pulled the covers over her shoulders.

"Hey! Mai, I'm serious about this! We're going to be late if you don't get out of bed!"

Mai shut her eyes, willing dreams to come take her, hardly caring about the thing they would be late for.

"Mai, I'm warning you, I am  _not_ a morning person and if you don't get out of that bed..."

Mai pulled a pillow over her head,

"Leave me alone Ayako, I'm so getting revenge on you tomorrow morning! At four I'll come stopping and yelling into your room and we'll see how you like it!"

The pillow was snatched up from Mai's head; Ayako leered down at her,

"You won't need to; Mrs. Koku woke me up this morning and if you think  _this_ is yelling, try listening to  _her_!"

_Mrs. Koku?_

Mai groaned and rolled over,

"It's not my fault she doesn't like you, don't take out your problems on me!"

The priestess drew in a furious breath and then in one foul motion pulled Mai's covers right off the bed. Mai shot up,

"Hey!"

"Hey nothing! Get in the shower or I'm dragging you down there like you are!"

Mai had half the inclination to ask just  _where_  she was going to be dragged in her pajamas, but thought better of it when she saw the dangerous glint in the woman's eye. She meant it.

Feeling flustered and confused, Mai slipped out of bed and stalked off to the bathroom. When she emerged sometime later she found Ayako sitting on her bed, a neat pile of clothes next to her,

"I picked out the ones that stunk the least," she said wrinkling her nose at them. Mai gave her a dark look and snatched them up, marching back to the bathroom to change.

"Ready?" Ayako asked when Mai came out a second time. Smoothing out her shirt Mai gave her a cold look that the priestess took for a yes. Standing up the woman lead the way out her door and down the hall.

"Can you at least tell me where we're going?" Mai asked walking fast to keep pace with the priestess.

"Some meeting, I don't know. Mrs. Koku just said to be there and to bring you with me," Ayako answered, sounding just as annoyed as Mai was with the whole idea.

_A meeting? Like the guy's meeting yesterday morning?_

Mai and Ayako settled into a mutual, irritated, silence. Rubbing sleep from her eyes, Mai saw that a few people had ventured to wake up and wander the halls. A couple of them, holding their morning coffee and tea, smiled kindly at Mai. Somehow Mai couldn't manage a smile back. Like Ayako, she was not a morning person either.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Ayako's pace began to slow down; she looked intently at each door they passed.

"WE'RE STILL MISSING A FEW PEOPLE; WE NEED EVERYONE TO START-"

Mrs. Koku's distinct voice found Mai's ears, they were close. Three doors later, Mai could hear the ancient woman's voice as clearly as if she were standing next to her. Cringing, Ayako gave Mai a resigned look before opening the door and exposing their ears to the full force of Mrs. Koku's voice.

"AH! MAI MY DEAR, COME IN! WE WERE WAITING FOR YOU!" the old woman greeted, grinning widely as Mai shuffled in with Ayako beside her.

As best she could, Mai managed a smile back at her, her eyes sweeping the room she just stepped in. Half the size of the dining hall, the large room was filled with chairs, occupied by the Inn's female guests. In the middle of the throng of chairs and women, someone in a bright floral kimono stood up and Mai's stomach dropped: Masako. With a polite wave she invited them over and then sat back down. Ayako made a b-line for the medium and Mai was forced to follow,

"What are you doing here?" the priestess asked sitting down in the free chair next to Masako. The medium's gaze remained on the front of the room as she answered,

"Well, of course I was asked to come. Mrs. Koku instructions for the festival are important to hear."

"Instructions...?" Ayako persisted, not seeming to like the sound of it.

Masako glanced at Ayako out of the corner of her eye,

"Yes, you know, today is the day of the woman, the wife..."

"What?" Mai exclaimed, speaking for the first time since she sat down on the other side of Ayako. The medium looked fully at Mai, a small smirk playing on her lips,

"Yes, Mr. Sachi has told me all about it. I thought you would know, having Niko and all..."

Red flooded Mai face, she made a move towards Masako, but Ayako put an arm out to block her,

"So, you're saying this meeting is just like what the men had yesterday? We have an assignment too?" she asked while fighting Mai back.

Masako was looking towards the front again, attempting to seem cool and composed, but a smug smile kept tugging at her lips as she relished in Mai's reaction,

"Yes."

Harassedly, Mai threw herself back in her seat and massaged the part of her arm Ayako had been pushing rather hard against.

_That Masako._

Just then the door opened again and two young women walked in, and with many apologies for being late, took the two remaining seats.

"GOOD, EVERYONE'S HERE," Mrs. Koku bellowed. The soft murmuring that had filled the room hushed as the old woman's voice broke over them. Smiling, the ancient Inn keeper continued,

"AS YOU ALL MUST KNOW, TODAY IS A MOST SPECIAL DAY. THE DAY OF THE WOMAN, THE DAY OF THE WIFE, THE DAY OF COURTSHIP!"

At this, more murmuring broke out, a few giggles and claps resounded about the room. Mrs. Koku chuckled,

"YES, FOR US WOMEN THERE IS NO DAY MORE SPECIAL, AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW--" the old woman's eyes somehow found Mai, "--I'LL TELL YOU WHY. THIS SECOND DAY OF THE FESTIVAL, THE DAY CELEBRATING MR. MIYUKI'S WIFE, YOSHI, AND THE INSPIRATION THAT HER BEAUTY AND CHARACTOR BROUGHT TO HIM, IS DESIGNED TO ENCOURAGE US ALL TO INSPIRE THE MEN IN OUR LIVES. YOSHI ODDLY WAS MR. MIYUKI'S BIGGEST INSPIRATION, AND WHILE MANY OF YOU WOULDN'T THINK A WIFE INSPIRING A HUSBAND AS ODD, YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOSHI. SHE WAS A NIGHTMARE OF A WIFE AND REGRETFULLY I KNEW HER PERSONALLY. SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL, YES-- BUT HAD A PERSONALITY LIKE A DRIED UP PRUNE!"

If it were possible, Mrs. Koku raised her voice even louder here to convey her distaste of the woman,

"SHE NEVER SUPPORTED MR. MIYUKI WITH HIS DREAMS OF BUILDING THEATERS AND WRITING PLAYS. BUT SOMEHOW HE STILL LOVED HER AND HER BEAUTY FOUND IT'S WAY INTO HIS MOST STUNNING CHARACTERS AND HER MANY PERSONALITIES INSPIRED SOME OF HIS MOST MEMORABLE CHARACTERS. THIS IS A TESTAMENT TO HIS GREAT TALENT IF YOU ASK ME. ANY BODY WHO COULD BASE A CHARACTER OFF THAT WOMAN AND MAKE IT HALF WAY DECENT IS A GENIUS. SO TODAY IS A DAY FOR INSPIRATION. EVERY WOMAN SITTING BEFORE ME HAS THE ABILITY TO BE ONE, BUT JUST ONE OF YOU WILL BE CHOSEN TONIGHT AS THE TRULY INSPIRING YOSHI MIYUKI!" the old woman announced, her voice painfully rising again in her excitement. Mai massaged her tender ears and found herself shrinking from the innkeeper's gaze as she exclaimed these things.

_I've already inspired one character in Niko and one is more than plenty..._

Beside her, Ayako was looking confident. Clearly she saw herself as beautiful and inspiring above anything else. Mai held in a snort. On the other side of Ayako, Masako had her mask in place once again and Mai was finding it frustratingly hard to judge what she was thinking. Just then, Mrs. Koku's loud voice penetrated her thoughts and she found herself forced to listen to more,

"IN ORDER TO BE COME THE ONE ENTITLED MRS. MIYUKI (MY GRANDSON HAS BECOME MR. MIYUKI IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW...) YOU MUST STRIKE BEAUTY AND INSPIRATION INTO THE HEARTS OF ALL THE MEN AROUND YOU. YOU MUST DRESS YOUR VERY BEST AND HOPE TO BE GIVEN MORE LILES (WHICH THE MEN WILL PICK AT DUSK) THAN ANY OTHER WOMAN IN NOZOMI. NO SMALL FEAT I MUST SAY, BUT SOMEONE IS CROWNED YOSHI EVERY YEAR. BUT MORE ON THE LILES-- EACH MAN WILL BE GIVEN TWO. LET'S TALK THE FIRST ONE. YOU WANT TO BE GIVEN AS MANY OF THESE FIRST LILES AS POSSIBLE BEFORE THE END OF THE FESTIVAL TONIGHT, BUT THERE ARE TWO SIDES TO THIS TASK..." the old woman proclaimed, wiggling her eyebrows at them all,

"THERE IS THE PERSONAL SIDE AND THE  _I_ _M_ _PERSONAL_  SIDE. IF A LILY IS GIVEN TO YOU IT IS A SIGN OF ATTRACTION, ADMIRATION, AND APPRECIATION. THE MAN OBVIOUSLY THINKS YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL AND YOU INSPIRE HIM IN SOME WAY. BUT WHAT IF YOUR GIVEN A LILY BY A FRIEND...?" the innkeeper asked, eyeing them knowingly, before settling her gaze on Mai,

"CHANGES THINGS DOESN'T IT? THIS FRIEND IN NO WAY HAS TO GIVE YOU A LILY. IT IS A TOKEN OF AFFECTION AND NOTHING LESS. I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY NEW COUPLES COME OUT OF THIS DAY, HOW MANY PEOPLE WHO WERE JUST FRIENDS AND BY THE NEXT MORNING WERE ENGAGED!" here again the old woman paused, her eyes staring so steadily at Mai that she had to look away,

"NOW, IF A FRIEND GIVES YOU A LILY IT DOESN'T ALWAYS HAVE TO BE A ROMANTIC THING, I'VE BEEN GIVEN LILES FROM MY SONS FOR YEARS AND FROM MEN I'VE GROWN UP WITH MY WHOLE LIFE AND BELIEVE ME THEY HAVE NO INTENTION OF WALKING DOWN THE AISLE WITH ME. SO WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO IS THE RELATIONSHIP YOU HAVE WITH THE PERSON. IF YOU'RE FRIENDS WITH THEM AND YOU GET A LILY, I'D SAY SOMETHING'S GOING ON THERE," a significant look was shot Mai's way,

"BUT IF YOUR RELATIONSHIP IS BROTHERLY OR VERY PLATONIC, I WOULDN'T THINK ANYTHING OF IT. GETTING A LILY FROM MEN WHO HAVE THAT KIND OF RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU IS MERELY A STRONG SIGN OF FRIENDSHIP AND SOMETHING TO CHERISH AND BE FLATTERED OVER. SO MY ADVICE TO YOU IS TO THINK YOUR RELATIONSHIPS OVER BEFORE TONIGHT--"

Mai felt her stomach flip flop and upon looking at Ayako and Masako, she saw that they no longer looked confident or composed.

_Naru...who is he going to give his lily too? And Niko, is he going to give his to me?_

Mai thought of his play with a growing sense of dread,

_Probably._

"NOW TO THE  _I_ _M_ _PERSONAL_  PART. AS YOU KNOW THERE WILL BE TONS OF MEN AT THE FESTIVAL TONIGHT, AFTER RECIVING YOUR PERSONAL LILES-- IT'S TIME TO GO OUT AND GET SOME IMPERSONAL ONES. BE BEAUTIFUL, BE INSPIRING! TRY TO GAIN AS MANY LILIES AS YOU CAN FROM THE MEN YOU MEET. THE WOMAN WITH THE MOST LILIES TONIGHT WILL BECOME KNOWN AS YOSHI MIYUKI. ONE FINAL PERSONAL THING, THE SECOND LILY I MENTIONED EARILER. THIS ONE IS CALLED THE MOON LILY AND WAS PICKED AT MIDNIGHT OF LAST NIGHT DURING THE FULL MOON. THESE SPECIAL LILIES, GROWN ONLY NEAR NOZOMI, ARE A SIGN OF THE DEEPEST LOVE AND DEVOTION. EVERY MAN WILL BE GIVEN ONE OF THESE IN ADDITION TO HIS NORMAL LILY. IF YOU ARE GIVEN THIS, THINGS MUST BE QUITE SERIOUS BETWEEN YOU. A HUSBAND GIVES HIS WIFE THIS LILY. A MAN LOOKING TO PROPOSE WILL GIVE YOU THIS LILY," Mai suddenly looked at her hands, hoping to avoid the look she knew was coming from Mrs. Koku, a blush creeping up her neck,

"THE GIVING AND RECIVING OF THIS LILY IS NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY. AGAIN, LIKE WITH THE REGULAR LILY, A MAN MAY CHOOSE NOT TO GIVE THIS LILY OUT AT ALL, BE EXTREMELY GREATFUL TO RECIVE ONE. THERE IS NO CASUAL MEANING TO THIS PARTICUALR LILY, IF YOU ARE GIVEN IT, IT CANNOT BE MISTAKEN FOR FRIENDSHIP LIKE THE OTHER ONE," the old woman's words were final. A hush fell over the room as the women imagined who would give them such as special token of love. Mai felt a lump rise in her throat and a pit sink in her stomach. Would Niko give her this moon lily?

_Please, no!_

"Excuse me," someone spoke up, her hand in the air.

"YES?" Mrs. Koku asked pleasantly.

"Um...what if you're given  _two_ moon lilies?"

There was a sudden murmuring and many people turned in their seat to see who had asked such a scandalous question. Mai found herself curious for an answer. The old woman smiled solemnly,

"Then you are you are as lucky as you are _unlucky_."

The silence that stole over the room was impenetrable. Mai blinked in shock. She had never heard Mrs. Koku speak softly before, and from the look of it, no one else had either.

"WELL. I THINK THIS CONCLUDES OUR MEETING, GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL!" the old woman announced blasting away the heavy silence that had just settled. It took a moment for everyone to get the hint and then room was filled with the low hum of murmuring and chairs being slid around.

Mai stood up from her seat with a troubled mind and a heavy heart. Behind her Ayako and Masako seemed to be feeling the same, and had anybody paid any attention to them, one might have thought they were going to their doom. Making slow progress through the crowd of gossiping, giggling women, Mai's main concern was not to be lead out near Mrs. Koku. That was the  _last_ thing she needed right now. Just then the conversation between the two women in front of Mai caught her attention,

" _So, where is your husband?_ "

" _At a meeting of his own, I believe Mr. Koku holds it?_ "

" _Oh. Fitting I suppose. Well, I guess he's learning what to do with his lilies._ "

" _All I know is_ _that_ _if I don't receive his_ _m_ _oon lily, he's going to have problems_..."

The women slipped farther ahead of Mai, babbling on. Mai suddenly felt very self conscious. Would Niko be the  _only_  one to give her a lily?

_Certainly not Naru..._

Mai glanced at Masako as they pushed through the door, her lips twisting.

_I know who Mr. Sachi will be giving his lily to...._

Once out in the hall the three of them walked on in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. The halls they passed through were full of people, the general flow moving towards the dining hall that had just opened. Mai felt anything but hungry. Upon reaching the doors and squeezing through them with dozens of people following, Mai saw without much surprise that the dining hall was already half full.

"Geez, it's a zoo in here..." Ayako grumbled sending a sharp look at a man who almost stepped on her foot. Mai nodded, attempting to forage a path between, people, chairs, and tables,

"I'll say."

"Mr. Sachi said it would be like this here after the start of the festival, this is the only inn for miles," Masako commented, dodging chair and person alike with grace and ease.

Mai glared back at the medium and opened her mouth to remark on Mr. Sachi, but just then someone scooted out their chair on her toe. Limping away, Mai finally caught sight of Bou-san, who was standing up, looking around the room.

"It's about time," the monk greeted taking his seat once again as the three of them approached.

Rubbing her side where someone had recently jabbed her, Mai gave Bou-san a look before plopping down beside him,

"Well,  _s_ _orry_  to keep you waiting."

Looking flustered Ayako sat on the other side of Mai,

"This is crazy, all of that just to get to our table!"

"We didn't have a problem," Naru spoke, taking a thoughtful sip of his tea.

The priestess glared at him,

"You can just lead the way back then."

"Actually...it wasn't so easy for me," Bou-san said quietly, leaning over to Mai and pointing at his temple that looked like it was starting to bruise, "a purse to the head, some lady thought I was stealing from her..."

Mai tried to look sympathetic at Bou-san, mindful of her toe someone ran over, but couldn't help but laugh at the thought of some little old lady hitting the tall monk with her hand bag.

"Ha, ha," Bou-san said seeing her lips twitch.

"How was your meeting?" John wondered, smiling over at Mai.

Mai's teasing smile at Bou-san faltered and slowly she looked over at the priest, a self conscious blush tinting her cheeks,

"Fine, I guess...how was yours?"

John's expression mirrored her own, he smiled awkwardly,

"Um..."

"It was  _interesting_ , to say the least," Bou-san spoke up, answering for the uncomfortable priest.

Mai looked at Bou-san through the corner of her eye, she didn't like the way he had said  _interesting._

"Interesting or not I bet  _you_ didn't get a wake up call in the form of Mrs. Koku this morning," Ayako grumbled, keeping a sharp eye out for the woman. Bou-san leaned forward to look around Mai and raise his eyebrows at Ayako,

"Mrs. Koku came and woke you up?"

"Yes," Ayako answered shortly, reaching for a tea cup that wasn't there. "When are we going to get any help around here?"

"Why did she do that?" John asked curiously, missing the hints to drop the subject.

"How am I supposed to know?" the priestess snapped, drumming her fingers impatiently on the table.

Just then a sudden hush fell over the room. Ayako paused her drumming. Looking to the door that just opened, Mai shrunk in her seat. Mr. Sachi and Niko had just walked in with bright smiles on their faces. Mai stole a look at Masako and saw that she looked little better than herself. When both men were around they were on even playing ground, both in equal discomfort.

Hesitantly, Mai glanced at Naru, and nearly gave herself whiplash in looking away when she saw that he (probably the only one in the room) wasn't looking at their new arrivals, but instead was staring at her.

_You looked beautiful tonight._

The words pushed their way into Mai's head before she could stop them. A steady blush rose to her cheeks, in her hurry this morning she had forgotten what had happened the night before. Had she imagined him saying that..?

"Well, well, well!" a voice suddenly boomed in Mai's ear. Startled out of her thoughts, the noise of the room came back to her in rush, all around her everyone was eating again, and standing very near her were Mr. Sachi and Niko. "I don't believe I could lay my eyes on three more beautiful and  _inspiring_  women!" the playwright exclaimed, his gaze lingering affectionately on Masako.

The medium pretended not to notice and stared straight a head. Here was an opening, a moment in which Mai could strike, but for some strange reason, her heart wasn't all that in it. She knew the look on Masako's face all too well these days.

"I agree," Niko added, his eyes finding Mai. "They're sure to have some of the biggest bouquets of the night."

Mai, who happened to like Niko as a person, couldn't give him the cold shoulder like Masako could to Mr. Sachi. She acknowledged this compliment with a half smile.

"Let's see here," Mr. Sachi said drawing up a chair from a nearby table and seating himself next to Masako, "have we ordered yet?"

Ayako looked pointedly at Niko,

"No. No one has come to help us at all and we've been here at least fifteen minutes now."

Niko's bright look fell, anxiousness clouded his face,

"Oh, really? Um..."

Irritated and embarrassed by Ayako's attitude, Mai glared at the priestess, before quickly looking to Niko,

"It can't have been  _that_  long, really it's fine Niko," she reassured, offering him a true smile.

"Actually, it has."

Surprised, Mai looked from Niko to Naru who had just spoken. She fixed him with a cold stare to match his own. An awkward silence filled the air,

"Well, let me see then if I can flag someone down," Mr. Sachi suggested pleasantly, hoping to lighten the atmosphere.

"No, no allow me--" Niko suddenly urged, standing up so quickly from his seat that he nearly stumbled over it.

"Easy now!" Mr. Sachi exclaimed, steadying the chair with a concerned look at the young man.

"I'll be right back, I'll go get someone from the kitchens, actually--" Niko persisted, his words coming out in a rush, addressing the last part to Mai, "did you like what you had before? What I made you last night? I can have it made again."

Mai blinked, stunned. She opened and closed her mouth, he was moving too fast for her to keep up properly,

"Um..."

"Oh, of course not! Of course you wouldn't. That was dinner, how dumb of me, I didn't think, I--"

"Niko," Mai said suddenly, standing from her seat. "I would love it, thank you very much."

Niko stopped rambling, and at Mai's encouraging smile, he relaxed a bit and nodded,

"Oh, okay, great. I'll be right back then."

And with that he hurried off through the packed dinging room. A fresh blush on her cheeks, Mai slowly sat down.

"I know that he must mean well, but  _wow_..." Bou-san murmured to Mai with his eyebrows raised.

Mai chose to ignore this comment, wishing she had tea to drink to distract herself.

"Nice guy that Niko is, a bit odd that he's representing Mr. Miyuki...but his play  _was_  inspired," Mr. Sachi said, speaking into the silence with a shrug.

"Quite  _inspired,_ " Masako agreed, a light smile on her face. Mai did not miss the implication and narrowed her eyes at the medium.

"Ah! I see your taste in theater is becoming quite refined," Mr. Sachi replied beaming at her proudly. "I think a few more days with me and you'll be quite a knowledgeable judge of the arts."  

Masako returned this compliment with a stiff smile. Mai grinned broadly,  _pay back._

"So, speaking of Niko," Mr. Sachi said in a lowered voice, still carrying the conversation as no one else seemed to want to speak, "how about that meeting this morning?" he asked, giving Mai a meaningful look and a wink.

Bou-san straightened in his chair and cleared his throat loudly; Mai glanced at him just quickly enough to see him urgently drawing a finger across his throat in the kill sign to Mr. Sachi. Suspicions arose, Mai's eyes darted to John who suddenly found the grains of wood in the table interesting, and thinking Mai wasn't still watching, sent Mr. Sachi a stricken look.

Feeling now that they were hiding something, Mai chanced a glance at Lin and Naru. As to be expected, Lin's face was carved out of stone, making it impossible to tell whether he knew anything or not. Naru, on the other hand, was surprisingly not as composed. He sat there drinking his tea, staring darkly at Mr. Sachi. Now the playwright looked the most nervous of them all and Mai could practically see his brain struggling to come up with something to change the subject.

"What about this meeting? Do tell..." Ayako prompted, having watched the exchange interestedly.

Mr. Sachi pursed his lips; he now seemed reluctant to say anything.

"It's noth--"

" _Please_ Joji, do enlighten us--" Masako cut in.

Armed with his first name and a winning smile on her face, Mr. Sachi would have surely fallen to Masako's charms had Niko not arrived just then with breakfast.

"Breakfast is served," he announced brightly, placing Mai's bowl in front of her. "Well, sort of anyways..."

Mai tore her attention away from Mr. Sachi (which was extremely hard to do considering she had wanted to hear what he was about to spill...) to send an equally bright smile to Niko in thanks.

"Tanaka, will take your orders now," Niko continued, gesturing to the young man beside him before reclaiming his seat on the other side Mr. Sachi.

The orders were given in a matter of moments, and then with a small bow their waiter was off. Mai sat eating her breakfast (or dinner...) and taking long sips of tea, hoping to discourage anyone from trying to talk to her. The silence after ordering was dangerous territory for the men as both Masako and Ayako sat staring Mr. Sachi down, still hungry for answers.

"So, what did I miss?" Niko asked curiously.  
  


Mai stuffed her mouth with a large bite; she would not be answering this one. Just as Masako looked like she was going to spring into action, her sleeve coming up to her mouth in a half-hearted attempt to cover her delighted smile, Bou-san beat her to the punch.

"Actually, we were just wondering why Ayako was woken up this morning by your grandmother?"

It wasn't exactly genius, but it was quick thinking and it did the trick.

"Oh," Niko said with a knowing smile. "I might have an answer for you. You see last night, before I turned in, she asked me if Mai knew of the meetings this morning, I told her I didn't know, so she asked me what room she was staying in, but-- but of course I didn't know that either..." Niko explained, coloring a bit at the last part.

Finishing her large bite Mai adverted her eyes from everyone and contented herself with taking another sip of tea,

" _So_ _..?_ " Bou-san persisted, looking to give Masako no chance in reclaiming the conversation.

"Oh, sorry. So, I suppose she went to wake Mai up this morning and went to the wrong room."

There was a pause and then Niko looked to Mai a bit embarrassed,

"If you don't mind me asking, what room  _are_ you staying in?"

"Fourteen."

"Fifteen."

Surprised, Mai glanced up at Naru. Had he just said room  _fifteen_ _?_  Niko looked from Mai to Naru, from Naru to Mai and back again,

"Um..." he said, looking uncertain.

Feeling confused and slightly flustered, Mai looked to Niko attempting a smile,

"It's  _fourteen_."

A few seats down from her, Masako pursed her lips, she would say nothing about Naru's slip up, least the lie was a sign of affection towards Mai. Ayako on the other hand, not concerned with such delicate matters, would not let it go quietly,

"Of course it's fourteen, it's right next door to  _you_."

Seeming unconcerned, Naru deflected Ayako's penetrating stare with a shrug,

"My mistake."

Ayako opened her mouth to argue this, but found she had nothing left to say. The matter was frustratingly closed, but of course anyone who knew Naru, knew he didn't often make mistakes-- nor admit them.

A short while afterward the food arrived and everyone ate in thoughtful silence, Bou-san occasionally sending Mai looks out of the corner of his eye which Mai pretended not to notice.

"NIKO!" Mr. Koku called at the other end of the room. "IT'S STARTING TO RAIN, WE NEED YOUR HELP PROTECTING THE STAND."

Quickly, Niko stood and nodded at his grandfather who disappeared through the kitchen door,

"I'm sorry; I've got to go help. I guess, I'll see you tonight..." he said, staring down at her with a strange expression.

Mai swallowed her sip of tea with a loud gulp and nodded, not trusting herself to say anything. Niko lingered, seeming to hesitate in leaving her side, and then, in one quick motion he took her hand and brought it to his lips.

Surprised, Mai blushed to the roots of her hair. Equally red at his own daring, Niko managed one last bow before hurrying away. Mai sat in her chair after, hearing nothing and seeing nothing but the rain splatter the window directly across from her. When she finally did recover the first person her eyes fell on was Mr. Sachi, and if possible he looked odder than Niko had before he kissed her hand.

"Ahem, well if we're all finished..." the playwright spoke up, avoiding looking Mai in the eye, a small smile pulling at his lips. Mai was suddenly filled with the urge to wipe that smile off his face.

"I don't know about that, Mai might want  _seconds_ ," Ayako smirked into her tea.

Mai stood abruptly, bumping the table with her knees, causing the miko to slosh some of her tea onto her shirt,

"Hey!"

"I  _am_  finished Mr. Sachi and if--"

Bou-san chose to stand then,

"--and if you'll excuse us, we'll go get our coats and then we can be on our way," the monk finished for her, hands already on her shoulders, guiding her away from the table.

Not waiting for an answer, the two of them braved the trip across the dining room; narrowly escaping with their lives after a waiter carrying someone's food nearly collided with Mai. It was with great relief that the two of them stepped into the hall.

"Man, if it's going to be like that at every meal, I'm going to start eating in my room," Bou-san declared, sending a resentful look back at the double doors.

Mai nodded her head seriously, fixing the doors with an equally dark look...but, then her thoughts turned on what they were leaving behind. She had escaped more than a crowded dinging room.

"By the way...thank you for that, back there," she said gratefully, referring to her rescue at the table.

The monk waved her gratitude away,

"Don't mention it; I was doing me a favor as much as you. Now, how about we get those coats?"

Mai agreed and the two of them proceeded down the empty hall in companionable silence. Reaching Bou-san's door, Mai waited outside while he searched around for his coat.

"I know it's around here somewhere..." she heard him say as he passed by the doorway and crossed to the other side of the room. Mai took a curious step forward and peered into the monk's room through the half open door. It was set up much the same as hers, but perhaps a little messier, if that were possible.

In addition to clothes scattered everywhere, there was a guitar propped up in the corner, papers were spread out on the floor, some old cups of coffee gathered on his window sill, and some of his bed pillows were thrown in random spots on the floor. Mai began to highly doubt his bed ever have being made since he got there.

"Here we are," Bou-san announced.

Mai stepped back and was busy looking around the hall when the monk joined her again,

"It was stuffed in the bottom of my duffel bag, I haven't needed it this whole time here," he explained as he locked his door.

"I know," she replied as they started walking again. "I wonder if the weather will change in time for the festival?"

Mai allowed herself a brief moment of wishful thinking,

_Festivals can get rained out, right?_

But Bou-san cut in with a bit of unwanted reality,

"Oh, sure it will. It's just a shower; I even saw some sun breaks."

Mai glared moodily at the back of his head and they continued on.

"So," the monk began after a few moments of silence, "what do you think of the festival?"

Mai caught his amused tone, with a sigh she crossed her arms,

"I think Niko is going to purpose. You know, with the moon lily and all..."

A heavy hand came to rest on her shoulder,

"Eh, don't sweat it. You can always tell him no, and if he won't get the message,  _I_ can always deliver it for you."

Mai smiled, shaking her head,

"That won't be necessary, but thanks Bou-san."

The monk beside her eyed her steadily,

"I know I tease you a lot, but do you  _really_  like him?"

Mai met his curious gaze and then looked down at her feet thoughtfully.  _Did_ she like him?

_Yes,_ _b_ _ut not that way._ _C_ _ertainly not enough to marry him..._

"He's a nice person." Mai answered politely.

Bou-san nodded,

"You don't  _really_ like him," he concluded.

Mai shook her head, relieved to say it with Bou-san there to understand.

"He must though.... _really_ like me, I mean," Mai prodded with a questioning look at Bou-san.

The monk returned her gaze innocently,

"Well-- sure, with all that kissy hand stuff."

Mai raised an eyebrow,

"You know more than that, something happened at this morning's meeting."

Bou-san looked away from her pointedly,

"I don't know anything."

Mai narrowed her eyes at him,

_That_ _Bou-san._

"Yes-- you-- do-- Bou-san-- tell-- me--" she persisted, jabbing a finger into his arm with each word.

"Hey!" the monk protested, pulling his arm away. "That's my bad arm."

"Come on, it can't hurt  _that_  much," Mai muttered, her hand falling to her side. _"I only pulled on it a little bit_..."

"Hey!" Bou-san cried again, " _You're_ the one who did this to me?"

"Yes, now spill or I'll give you a demonstration," Mai threatened, her hands coming to rest on her hips.

Bou-san stared down at her darkly,

"You know, you can be a little scary sometimes...kinda like somebody else I know."

Mai's eyebrow twitched, she did not appreciate the comparison to Naru.

"Just tell me already Bou-san, what happened with Niko this morning?" she urged, becoming impatient.

The monk, now walking as far left as he could, shrugged.

"Who says it has to do with Niko?"

"Because I  _know_ it has to do with Niko."

The monk fixed her with a penetrating look,

"Okay, answer me this first. What is going on between you and Naru?"

Surprised at the question Mai halted,

"What do you mean? I'm the one asking the questions here. This is about Niko  _not_ Naru."

A smile spread across Bou-san lips,

"Sorry, touched a nerve."

Mai snorted and started walking again,

"Bou-san,  _please_  just answer my question."

"You answer mine," he replied stubbornly.

She turned the key in the lock and looked back at him exasperatedly,

"I don't even  _understand_ your question!"

Bou-san eyebrow's descended critically,

"Hey, now. Don't even try and pull that trick. You know what I'm talking about, something happened yesterday with Naru and you know it."

Mai walked into her room and made directly for the suitcase Ayako had vandalized earlier.

"Who says it has to do with Naru?" she asked, mockingly.

Bou-san sent her a look and leaned against the door frame,

"Mocking me, huh? Alright then, come here and I'll poke your arm while I tell you,  _I just know..._ "

" _I didn't poke your arm then,_ " Mai mumbled, sending him a dark look, as she rummaged through her suitcase.

"Nice place by the way," Bou-san remarked with a smirk as his gaze traveled around.

"Just as nice as  _yours,_ you mean," Mai said over her shoulder, reaching the bottom of her suitcase: no coat.

"I didn't show you my room," Bou-san said suspiciously.

She sent him a smirk of her own.

" _Mocking_  me and  _snooping_ on me, what next?" Bou-san proclaimed indignantly.

Mai sighed and began to look around her bed for her coat,

"I might step on your foot if you don't tell what happened with Niko," she answered, peering underneath.

"And I might not give you your coat if you don't tell what's going on between you and Naru," came Bou-san's voice from the doorway.

Mai sat upright and glanced at the monk, who indeed held her coat.

"Hey, where did you..?"

"I thought girls were supposed to be neat," he remarked, raising his eyebrows at her.

"And I thought monks weren't supposed to judge," Mai retorted, crossing over to him to retrieve her coat.

Just as she was about to take her coat back, Bou-san held it up higher.

Mai bit her cheek in irritation; she could sense what was coming.

"Not so fast. One answer for one coat. I'll ask again,  _what is going on between you and Naru_?"

Mai crossed her arms and looked away from him, unable to bear the sight of his triumphant face.  

 _I will get you back for this Bou-san_ , she thought, eyeing his feet.

"There is  _nothing_ going on. I can't imagine what you're thinking of. If you're talking about last night, believe me that was  _not_ a date," Mai answered, facing him again.

"Interesting, but actually I was talking about the cold, endless silence that has sprung up between you two," Bou-san replied, obviously enjoying his power over her.

Mai stared blankly back at him,

"When hasn't there been cold, endless silence between us?"

"Its worse."

Mai shrugged,

"He's been in a bad mood, I don't know...."

Bou-san leaned forward towards her, Mai keeping an eye on the coat the whole time, looking for an opening to grab it.

"You know something you're not telling me."

Mai sighed and turned around.

_I have another coat around here somewhere._

"Mai. You wouldn't answer Naru or me yesterday, where were you while John and I were running after Ayako and Masako?"

Mai paused her search. In her mind's eye she saw herself racing back to the room, the man pointing to the photo, her fingers closing around it.

"I told you, I fell behind," Mai said slowly as she looked to him.

The monk was not convinced,

"You fell behind? I don't believe it; you're faster than me most of the time."

Mai made a face at him and resumed looking for her coat,

" _S_ _ure_ , Bou-san."

"You don't fall behind," Bou-san persisted firmly, stepping away from the door frame.

There was a quiet moment while Mai poked around. She peaked under her bed: nothing. Sitting up she bumped her head against her nightstand.

"Ouch."

There was a faint rustle. The picture of the girl lay on the floor inches from her hunched figure.

"What's that?" Bou-san asked, looking to her with a raised eyebrow.

Holding her head with one hand, the other quickly picked up the photo and laid it on the nightstand,

"Oh, that? Nothing. But hey, we've been gone long enough, the others are waiting. Give me my coat and let's go," Mai said hurriedly, getting to her feet.

Walking past her, Bou-san deposited the coat in her arms and proceeded to pick up the picture. Holding her coat, Mai frowned. A vision of the ghostly man with his finger to his lips danced before her eyes.

"Who is this? She looks kind of familiar..."

Despite herself Mai perked up,

_H_ _e thinks so too?_

"Do you recognize her?" Mai prodded, taking a seat on the bed.

Bou-san glanced at her and shook his head,

"No, who is she?"

Mai looked down at her lap silently,

_To tell or not to tell..._

"Mai?" Bou-san said, sitting down next to her.

Mai fidgeted with the coat, feeling the monk's eyes staring at her. A solution suddenly struck her.

_I tell him, but only the parts I can tell._

"You're right Bou-san, I didn't fall behind yesterday," Mai began, unfolding and then refolding the coat on her lap.

Out of the corner of her eye, Mai could see him smirking.

"Go on..." he encouraged.

Looking for revenge, Mai's foot moved next to his suggestively. Seeing his smirk fade, Mai smiled and continued,

"I went back to the room. It was--" Mai thought quickly, "my intuition."

Bou-san nodded thoughtfully,

"What happened then?"

Mai reached over and took the photo from his hands,

"I was drawn to this. I think it's important to the case, but I don't know how..."

Bou-san leaned closer to her to get a better look,

"Like I said before, she seems familiar. If you think it's important, we should try and find out who she is," Bou-san suggested, looking to Mai for her consent.

Mai nodded eagerly. It felt like a million pounds had just been lifted off her chest. Bou-san could help her figure this out and she was no longer harboring a secret from him (or at least not a  _whole_ secret).

"So, you found it in that room..." Bou-san said standing to pace thoughtfully. "What do you think that place really is?"

Mai pursed her lips in thought, and then shook her head,

"I'm not sure; do you think Mr. Sachi would know?"

Bou-san brightened,

"Good idea, yes. We'll ask him when we get to the theater."

"Bou-san..." Mai suddenly said.

The monk looked over to her wonderingly.

"Do you think we could keep this to ourselves?"

Out of his confusion came a wise smile,

"This is the Naru part, isn't it?"

Mai glared but nodded. Bou-san smiled wider,

"This is what he's mad at you about; you won't tell him you found this picture?"

Mai stood and folded the coat over her arm, "Nope."

"But you'll tell  _me_."

Mai looked up at Bou-san,

"He knows something he isn't telling me," Mai lied.

But maybe it wasn't a lie?

_I'm sure there's_ _**something** _ _Naru isn't telling me._

Bou-san grinned at her, "It's no problem, your secret is safe with me."

Mai smiled back,

"Good, now how much do you want to bet that everyone left us?"

Bou-san cast a look at the door,

"I wouldn't put it past them."

Mai stood,

"Let's go, we can ask Mr. Sachi if he knows what the room is."

Bou-san nodded, looking at the picture once last time before following her out.

"You know, I was thinking..." he said as Mai locked the door, "what if she's one of the old actresses there? What if that was Miyuki's office or something?"

"An actress?" Mai repeated as they started down the hall.

_I ha_ _dn't_ _thought of that._

"Yeah, you've seen how Sachi goes on about Nari, maybe Miyuki had a favorite?"

"It makes sense, but isn't this kind of a young picture..?"

Bou-san looked thoughtful, but couldn't come up with an answer.

"We'll just have to see, I guess. There's a hall that I found when looking around with Ayako the other day, it's full of awards the theater has won, and tons of pictures cover the walls, maybe she'll be there?"

"Maybe," Mai agreed, "let's look when Naru sends us out to investigate."

After a short trip down the hall, Mai wasn't surprised to find the lobby empty.

_They left us, typical._

Exchanging looks with Bou-san, Mai slipped her coat on and they stepped out into the light rain. Mai squinted into the bright hue the cloud cover was creating. Bou-san had been right, patches of blue sky and sun spots were scattered amongst the gray clouds. It would all be cleared up come this evening.

Mai looked out at the festival grounds they were passing. Most stands were closed up with colorful tarps draped over them to keep out the rain. A handful of people were moving about, carrying things to the stage, or taking things from the stalls. Mai wondered if Niko was one of them, running about in the wet and mud.

It wasn't long before they reached the theater. Mai started up the stairs, gripping the rail as the wooden planks were slick with rain. Just behind her, Bou-san nearly slipped. Mai laughed and then nearly fell herself. Reaching the top relatively unharmed, Mai took the monk's arm and then they two of them quickly passed through the doors. Mai only felt it for a moment, the stomach churning sensation, followed by dizziness, and a sharp twinge of pain in her head, but then it was over and they had stepped inside.

"I hate the rain," Mai said with a shiver, running her fingers through her damp hair.

"I know," Bou-san grumbled, shutting the door behind them.

Mai looked around, the theater today was dark, the only light being cast was from the oil lamps.

"Kind of a creepy vibe today, huh?" Bou-san said, looking around himself.

"Yeah," Mai nodded rubbing her arms.

Just then muffled voices carried to Mai's ears.

"Do you hear that?" she asked, lowering her voice.

The monk nodded and pointed to a cracked door in the far end of the room. Mai glanced at the ticket booth, and then beyond into the auditorium, as the other theater doors were open today.

" _Actors?_ " Mai suggested, moving forward as she was unable to see the stage from this vantage point.

Bou-san caught her arm, and shook his head, slowly his gaze moved to the cracked door. Mai looked at it too, her breath coming out in white clouds before her.

"It's freezing in here," she complained, still speaking quietly.

Bou-san wasn't listening; his eyes were watching the door,

"I think the voices are coming from in  _there_..."

Mai strained to hear better, but they remained muffled. Mai rubbed her hands together, the cold was slowly making them stiff.

_Did someone accidentally turn the air conditioner on?_

Bou-san looked to her and she nodded, they moved forward. Drawing nearer, Mai made a point of scoping out the stage, but as it came into view, she saw there was no one rehearsing on it. The muffled voices continued.

"Bou-san, no one is down there..." Mai whispered, her teeth beginning to chatter.

At the door, the monk motioned her over. Mai reached the door and there was just room enough to squeeze in below him. Peering through the crack, Mai saw a single room housing various pieces of theater lighting equipment. At the back of the room a door to the outside was open and standing next to this door, stranded in a sea of bouquets, was Mr. Sachi.

"This is the last one," a young man said, handing off the only bunch of lilies amongst the roses.

The playwright glanced down at the all the roses around him and then back up at the young man,

"Surely, this is a mistake, meant for someone else...?" he ventured, trying to hand it back.

"No sir, it says here that it is to be delivered to a Miss Nari Motoshi from--"

"Very well then, thank you," Mr. Sachi interrupted.

The young man bowed and then departed. Mr. Sachi stood for a few moments in silence, looking down at the lilies with a frown. He rubbed his face with his free hand,

" _Kioko....please not Nari_ _,_ " he sighed and then, startling Mai-- in one quick motion he tossed the bouquet out the door.

"Mai," a voice suddenly said.

With a gasp, Mai nearly jumped out of her skin, bumping Bou-san hard in the stomach.

"Oy, watch it Mai," Bou-san protested bracing himself against the door.

"I'm sorry Bou-san," she apologized looking to him concernedly, before sending a sharp look at whoever had frightened her.

Standing several feet away was Naru, accompanied by the rest of the SPR group.

"What is going on here?" he asked, a frown descending upon his face.

Mai pursed her lips; she didn't feel like talking to him. Recovering slightly, Bou-san looked from Mai to Naru, and then quickly back at Mai,

"Mai, what's the matter with you? Why are you...?" he asked in half sentences, a frown also forming on his face.

Mai was suddenly confused,

_What are they talking about..?_

"What's the matter with you two?" she demanded, sending them both dark looks.

Naru glanced at Lin who, with a look at Mai, was gone in the next moment. Mai glared at the spot Lin had just vacated, what was going on here? She didn't feel much of anything but confused, but soon she started shaking and she realized that it must be from fear. Naru suddenly began crossing over to her, slipping his coat off in the process. Beside her Bou-san was doing the same thing. Mai looked between the two of them, beginning to feel uneasy.

"Bou-san...how?" John asked worriedly.

"I don't know," the monk answered, draping his coat around Mai's shoulders.

It was still warm from his body heat and a strange sensation spread from her neck and shoulders, a sort of hot pricking tinged her skin. Naru reached her and hung his coat over that of the monk's. Mai stared dumbly at him as he adjusted it, his gaze burning back at her concernedly. Suddenly, he took her face in his hands. Mai flinched; it was as if his palms were red hot, the prickling that was attacking her shoulders and neck, seared out across her cheeks.

"She's freezing, we need to get her back to base," Naru announced, looking to Bou-san.

The monk nodded and in the next moment Mai found herself being carried down the hall. At base Mai was set in the same chair Masako had been the day before. Lin had been waiting for them; a hot cup of tea was ready for Mai as soon as she was settled.

Mai hesitated taking the cup Lin was offering her, the heat radiating from it already making her skin sting. Compromising, she slipped her hands into Bou-san's coat sleeves and accepted the cup,

"Thank you," she murmured, staring into the steaming amber liquid.

Bou-san stood at her side, reminding Mai of Mr. Sachi the day before.

"Are you doing alright?" he asked, staring her in the same unnerving way everyone else was.

"Yes," Mai nodded, still uncertain of how she became unwell.

"Her color is returning," Ayako said, wringing out a wash cloth in the sink.

Ever since they had reached base, the miko had been racing about Mai, checking her temperature and procuring more coats such to layer her in. By this time, Mai was beginning to understand that it was not from fear that she had been shaking, but from cold. According to Lin, the foyer had dropped fifteen degrees after Mai and Bou-san had entered it.

"I'll never know how you get yourself into such messes," Ayako said, coming to kneel in front of Mai, running a warm cloth over her cheek.

"How come you weren't freezing?" Mai asked, looking up a Bou-san.

The monk shrugged, and patted Mai's shoulder,

"This coat is much thicker than yours, and I suppose I have more meat on my bones."

"He  _calls_  it meat _..._ " Ayako muttered under her breath.

Bou-san raised a threatening eyebrow at her,

"What was that Ayako..?"

"What is the temperature of the room now?" Mai heard Naru asking.

He was standing near the desk, staring into a thermal image of the foyer, which now seemed to be normal.

"Here," Masako said, handing off a fresh cup of tea she had just made for the monk, who until that moment, had been locked in a glaring contest with Ayako.

"Thank you," Bou-san replied, taking the tea and managing to drink and still glare at the priestess.

Masako returned to the couch.

"How is she?" Naru asked some minutes later when Ayako had finished tending to Mai.

"She's much warmer, she'll be fine," Ayako answered moving to the counter.

Naru nodded silently, coming to stand near Mai's armchair.

"Do you feel fine? Or do you need to go back to the inn?" he asked, looking down at her, a challenging glint in his eyes.

Ignoring him, Mai was busy peeling off some of the many coats Ayako had layered her in.

"I'm staying," was her distracted answer while she fought with a coat she was half sitting on.

"Are you sure? I can walk you back," Bou-san offered, pulling at the coat she was fighting with.

"I'm sure," Mai persisted, becoming flustered as the coat wouldn't give.

The monk stood back from it and frowned,

"What's the matter with this thing?"

Silently Naru took Mai's arm.

"He-hey!" Mai stammered confusedly as she was pulled from her seat.

The coat fell to the floor. Naru released her arm and looked to Masako,

"Hara-san..." he began, ignoring the stunned looks Mai and Bou-san were sporting, staring at the coat and then at him.

"Show off," Bou-san muttered, taking a seat on the couch.

Having been called on, the medium turned her gaze on Naru, her serenity casting a bright glare against Mai in her dull disheveled state.

"What is your opinion?" Naru asked, his dark eyes meeting her eager stare.

Masako stood and stepped towards the window reflectively before looking back to Naru,

"There is nothing here. I see nothing, I feel nothing."

"Nothing!" Mai exclaimed, kicking away the coats piled at her feet. "How do explain what happened to me just now?"

The medium looked to her as if the question was pointless,

"The foyer is very drafty. It's cold and raining outside and you don't seem to know what a proper coat is," she answered simply.

Mai felt the blood rush to her cheeks,

_That Masako!_

"It dropped  _fifteen_  degrees," she argued, pointing at the monitor that was now showing the temperature at around sixty degrees.

"You think something's here?" Naru questioned, fixing Mai with a penetrating stare.

For the briefest of moments Mai's eyes met Bou-san's, but then they broke away, and finding Masako, she chose to glare at the medium rather than meet Naru's all too knowing gaze.

"Yes, I do."

Masako frowned back at her as she crossed to the couch,

"You're hallucinating then."

A fire began to burn in Mai's eyes, she opened her mouth to retort, but Naru held up a hand,

"Enough. Mai, you will join Hara-san room to room today, taking temperatures as she conducts blessings. Maybe then you two will be able to agree on what's here, or what's  _not_."

"What?" Mai protested, her angry glare quickly turned on Naru.

Masako even opened her mouth to object, but caught herself just in time and managed to recover by clearing her throat.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Naru asked, staring back at her coolly.

Mai, not the least bit intimidated, was about to tell him  _exactly_  what her problem was, but a sudden rap on the door distracted her.

"Well, hello. Hard at work I see," Mr. Sachi greeted as he strode in with a wink.

Mai offered him a weak smile and took a step back from Naru, realizing she had gotten a bit too close to him in the heat of the moment.

"Can we help you Mr. Sachi?" Naru asked, obviously not in the mood for small talk.

Either missing or ignoring the warning signs Naru was sending, the playwright helped himself to a seat on the couch, squeezing in between Masako and John,

"Actually, I thought you could. I wondered if you had any opinions yet..?" Mr. Sachi answered, glancing warmly at the medium beside him.

Masako managed a thin smile and then discreetly began inching away from the playwright. Naru's dark eyes flicked to Mai,

"As it happens, we were just discussing that."

"And...?" Mr. Sachi persisted eagerly.

Crossing his arms, Naru faced the window,

"It appears we have some disagreements."

"Oh?" Mr. Sachi said, looking from face to face for a more revealing answer. "You are....undecided then?" he persisted when no one chose to elaborate.

" _I_ think there might be something here Mr. Sachi," Mai spoke up; ignoring the look Naru was giving her through the reflection of the glass.

"You are wrong," the medium protested, rising from her seat. "I see nothing here."

Mr. Sachi looked up at the medium with raised eyebrows,

"You...don't?"

"No," she answered certainly, drifting from the couch, putting much desired space between herself and the playwright.

"Matsuzaki-san?" Naru spoke, glancing at the miko for her opinion.

Sitting back examining her nails, the priestess looked up, surprised to be called on.

"What, me?" she asked, an arch eyebrow raised.

When Naru didn't answer but continued to stare at her coldly, she made a reluctant face and then closed her eyes. After a moment of meditation she opened them again,

"Well...I can't say I  _feel_ anything. This building, the property...it's quiet."

Masako looked over at Mai triumphantly,

"See, if even  _Ayako_ can tell there's nothing here..." she proclaimed.

"Excuse me, what's that supposed to mean?" Ayako snapped, leering over at the medium, who merely smirked behind her convenient sleeve.

"So...only Mai believes this theater is haunted?" a confused Mr. Sachi prodded.

Mai's eyes darted to Bou-san, he caught Mai's gaze and then looked to the playwright,

"Actually, Mai's not the only one. I've experienced things here that I wouldn't exactly call  _normal_..."

Mr. Sachi nodded and then, seeming to notice him for the first time, looked to John who sat beside him.

"How about you?" he asked, looking to the priest intently.

John looked up and around at all the faces suddenly focused on him. Mai offered John a slight encouraging smile, which he returned before going on to say,

"I'm not sure. I can't say I've seen anything, but then I can't say nothing has happened. I guess I'll have to see in more time."

Mr. Sachi nodded again and stood up,

"Well, I know what I believe, and if some of you aren't sure yet, I'm sure a bit longer here and you'll agree, Mr. Miyuki  _is_  among us," he pronounced, his gaze lingering on Naru and Masako.

Mai came and squeezed in on the other side of Bou-san, the monk giving her a nudge as the playwright made for the door,

 _The room,_ he mouthed.

_Oh, right. I almost forgot!_

"Mr. Sachi--"

Mai broke off and looked sharply at Naru. For the second time that day they spoke at the same time. A silence quickly set in. Naru's calculating eyes were upon her, as if he knew she was about to ask a question he wanted to hear,

"Yes, Mai?" he prompted.

Narrowing her eyes at him she smiled thinly and waved it off,

"Never mind, really--"

"Mai, if you had something to say..." he entreated, looking at her pointedly.

Mr. Sachi looked from Mai to Naru and back again,

"Yes?" he said, appealing to both of them.

Mai found herself staring down Naru before she reluctantly looked away and smiled falsely at Mr. Sachi,

"Well, I really just wanted to pass on a message. I didn't have time this morning to buy her flowers, but if you could let Nari know how much I enjoyed her performance last night..."

Mr. Sachi's confused face broke into a wide smile,

"Why thank you Mai, I'll be sure to pass that on."

Mai smiled back, her gaze sliding over to Naru, who stood leering at her coldly.

"And you?" Mr. Sachi persisted, looking from Mai to Naru expectantly.

Naru's face relaxed into something of a curious nature,

"There was a hall of mirrors I came across yesterday, they seemed antique. Are they original to the theater?"

The question came out causally enough, but Mai's interest was heightened,

_What is Naru thinking..?_

Mr. Sachi blinked for a moment, but then broke out in another wide smile,

"Brought in by Mr. Miyuki himself. The passage used to run from the dressing rooms to the stage- and you know actors, always have to make sure they look their best. The hall was a way of doing that just before going on stage."

Naru's casual interest slipped, a sharpness entered his eyes,

"When were the dressing rooms moved to backstage?"

Mr. Sachi's smile faltered under Naru's heavy stare,

"Well, to tell the truth I'm not really sure. This theater has gone under more renovations than I can count, but of course they always kept true to Mr. Miyuki's vision..." the playwright trailed off, uncertain where this was going.

Naru nodded thoughtfully.

"Well," Mr. Sachi said after a moment of silence. "If that's all, I really need to be checking up on some things."

"That's all," Naru answered, turning from the playwright to head over to Lin's desk.

Mr. Sachi nodded, sent a quick smile to Masako, and then stepped out the door. As soon as the playwright disappeared into the hall, Mai looked to the monk beside her.

 _Later,_ he mouthed and Mai nodded. Naru glanced from the computer screen to Ayako,

"Matsuzaki-san, I would like you to visit the dressing rooms."

Ayako frowned, but stood,

"Fine."

Naru looked to John,

"How do you feel about the Hall of Mirrors?"

The priest stood and nodded his consent,

"I'm alright with it."

"Good," Naru answered, his gaze moving on to the monk. "Bou-san, I would like you to return to the foyer."

The monk gave Mai's shoulder a light squeeze before standing up,

"Sure thing."

Mai chose to stand then, sensing Naru was about to sentence her to a day with Masako,

"Naru--" she began, glaring at him threateningly.

Her boss merely ignored her and looked to the medium standing at the other end of the room,

"Hara-san, go through each room-- work your way to the back. Mai--" Naru persisted, glancing at back her with a look that left no room for argument, "you will join her."

Masako nodded, but Mai just stood there, her arms crossed, her displeasure plain to see. Naru moved from the desk over to Mai, handing her the temperature chart,

"You may go," he said, meeting her glare for glare.

Mai took it and then turned and marched away from him, wishing with each step that she had asked to go back to the inn after all. Mai crossed out into the hall with Masako close behind,

_This is going to be a long day._


End file.
